Sealed
by Ms Trick
Summary: To keep up the village's appearance, Tsunade arranged a few marriages. 3 years later, some marriages are working, others aren't going so well. Meanwhile, Orochimaru's interests turn toward a Konoha nin other than Sasuke. SasuNaru, KibaHin, LeeGaa, more
1. Part 1 Track 1

**Sealed  
**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Summary_: It's another Tsunade-must-revive-Konoha-through-arranged-marriages fic. But marriages don't always mean love or friendship. Some will end well, others won't. This will not be a smooth ride: Sasuke has issues, Hinata's heart is twisted every which way, and most of the genin don't know what to do with themselves or their new spouses at all. Plus, complications arise when Orochimaru turns his eye to a different genin instead. There will be sex later, as this is going to be a long fic and they are currently 12.

_Main Pairings_: SasukeNaruto, LeeGaara, KibaHina, and a slew of others

_Timeline_: About Episode 108. After Sasuke gets the seal, before Sasuke leaves.

_Disclaimer_: Insert witty take on the I-don't-own-this statement here.

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Prologue

Tsunade looked down at the village from the large open balcony. Patches of construction covered many of the buildings and she could see countless people running around, trying to repair their homes in the hot sunshine. Amidst the bustle in Konoha, an old memory fluttered Tsunade's mind unbidden: the image of a young and desperate Shizune, who had come to her the day she had lost her parents.

Shizune had been no older than eight or nine and Tsunade remembered the girl teary and on her knees, begging to be her apprentice. She had been hungry for a way to help, for a way to ward off the death that hovered around Konoha as it hovered over all ninja villages.

Opening her eyes, the Hokage took in the sight of her home. The recent battle's losses lingered. But she could also see the rebirth. She could see the strength that Shizune had had and the cooperation that between Konoha's citizens. Everyone was trying to fix everything.

Tsunade heaved a sigh. The problem with that was that a village's prosperity wasn't only measured in the power of its ninjas and the stability of its market. The amount of weddings a village could give was also a major factor countries used to evaluate one another's strength. And Konoha was in trouble.

Tsunade turned from the balcony railing and stretched as she walked back into her office. The reconstruction was taking longer than planned. If the sunlight was anything to go by, the height of spring would be coming early this year. Most villages had a string of wedding ceremonies beginning at the height of spring and ending in mid-summer. In the past, Konoha had never had a problem with such a thing; there was no shortage of young, healthy individuals.

But since Konoha had remained in such a state of exhausted recovery effort, with its people working all day and falling into a dead sleep at night, there hadn't been much of a chance for love to bloom.

A voice pulled Tsunade out of her thoughts.

"Tsunade-sama, are you ready? Most of the villagers are there already."

The Hokage stared at Shizune for a minute, contrasting her with the little girl who had come to her in tears all those years ago. Shizune blinked in confusion, Ton-Ton in her arms as usual, and Tsunade smiled.

"I know. I know. I'm ready."

She followed her assistant downstairs to a pair of large oak doors. Shizune stood to one side and Tsunade went through them by herself. She walked out onto the platform into the blaring sunshine. A cool breeze swept past her and the large crowd quieted.

She raised her arms and began to speak.

"Thank you for all the effort and hard work I've seen in the last few months. This cooperation is truly the spirit of Konoha. As you know, the season of weddings is approaching quickly. Unfortunately, our village seems to be at an all-time low this year. Only nine couples have registered for marriage."

A rustle of surprised chatter broke out and Tsunade raised her voice slightly.

"This is a great drop from last year's forty-seven couples. This decrease is certainly understandable, considering the circumstances. But the village's prosperity and its standing with other villages depends on these marriages. And so I'm announcing that all persons between the ages twelve and twenty-three are to be betrothed via means of the state."

There was an explosion of talk from the crowd. People were shouting for joy, people were shouting in disbelief, parents were sighing that they wouldn't have to endure the arduous task of making sure their child was taken care of, and some people weren't saying anything.

Eventually, Tsunade regained their attention. She then finished up her atomic-bomb of an announcement quickly, merely stating that if there were any particular issues that they should come talk to her directly and that the details would be released at a certain time and place tomorrow.

As she re-entered the building, she breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against the door, wishing fervently for some sake.

"Do you think the pairings you've created will be accepted by the people?" Shizune asked.

"I know most of Konoha's youth well enough by now. And if I don't know them, I know their parents. They'll have to trust me."

Tsunade walked down the hallway as she spoke, Shizune keeping up with her.

"If they can trust me to form the ninja cells, which seems more difficult seeing as those involve life or death situations consisting of three people. How bad can marriages be?"

Shizune nodded, though on the inside she was glad she wouldn't be required to marry; she had turned twenty-four a few months ago.

"Right. What bothersome thing does this job call for me to do next?" Tsunade said with a resigned sigh.

"You have your meeting with the feudal lords of Sand to create another treaty."

"Right, right. One less likely to cause a war than the previous one..." Tsunade sighed again and rubbed her eyes. "We'll probably need at least two marriages with the Sand to keep relations good."

"Do you have any candidates?" Shizune asked curiously.

"I have an idea or two."

* * *

The next day, Kakashi appeared in front of Tsunade's office promptly at 3:00 pm for a 12:00 appointment. Kotetsu and Izumo, standing at their usual posts, didn't look impressed.

"Yo," he said with a jaunty wave. "Is the Godaime ready t--"

He was cut off by the office doors opening and a harassed-looking Shizune escorting a man and a woman out.

"I'm truly very sorry but no, your daughter will not be able to get a divorce if her spouse is not wealthy enough."

She was practically pushing them down the hallway. "If you have any requests as to who your daughter should be paired with, like we've said, feel free to let Tsunade-sama know and _we'll take them into consideration._"

Kakashi took the opportunity to enter and was greeted with the sight of a yawning Hokage pouring herself a cup of sake. From the looks of it, it wasn't her first cup today.

"Ah...Kakashi. Here you are. Drink?"

He declined and she shrugged before downing hers.

"I needed to ask you something concerning one of your subordinates. Do you know of the--"

She stopped as Shizune re-entered the room and placed two scrolls on her desk.

"What are these?" The Hokage said exasperatedly.

"The one on the left is a list of obligations and traditions for the two Hyuuga weddings. And the one on the right is an updated list of requests from girls wishing to be paired with Uchiha Sasuke."

Tsunade glared balefully at the two scrolls for a moment and then turned back to the masked ninja in front of her. Shizune stood off to the side, her mind running a mile a minute listing the things still needed to be done.

"As I was saying, do you know of the Uchiha tradition concerning betrothal?"

"I don't," Kakashi said puzzled.

"According to the family scrolls, a betrothal is determined by the first kiss. I've talked to Iruka, who said he couldn't recall Sasuke ever being remotely intimate while in the academy. As his current sensei, I was hoping you would know whether Sasuke had kissed anyone."

"Hmm..." Kakashi thought for a minute, staring into the ceiling.

He could count the number of people Sasuke talked to on a regular basis on one hand. He doubted his student had ever willingly kissed another person. A memory wiggled up from the depths of Kakashi's mind. He had been standing in this very office, observing the class of possible students in the Hokage's crystal with the rest of the jounin. He remembered watching the orb just long enough to witness Sasuke accidentally locking lips with...

"Naruto."

"Eh? Naruto?" Tsunade asked. She looked considerably more awake now.

"It was an unexpected one to be sure but Sasuke's first kiss was with Naruto."

She smirked with amused glee that probably shouldn't have been on a Hokage's face, and marked this piece of information down on a piece of paper.

"Thank you, Kakashi."

He gave her a small bow before vanishing. As he hopped over rooftops towards the hospital he ran the conversation over again in his head. Naruto and Sasuke were undoubtedly some of the strongest genin.

Tie them together forever and you've got one of the most unbeatable pairs Konoha had to offer, Kakashi thought as he arrived at the hospital. He was just in time to catch each of them by the wrist and--avoiding Sasuke's Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan--hurl them both towards the water containers.

That is, Kakashi thought, if they don't kill each other first.


	2. Track 2

**Sealed  
II**

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_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 2

Even after months of being his sensei, Kakashi still wasn't completely sure he was the one to be instructing Sasuke in ways other than combat skills. Nevertheless, here he was, tying the kid to a tree to get him to listen.

He paused to allow what he had just said to sink into the mind of his revenge-driven student, whom he had securely tied to a tree trunk. Informing Sasuke that he had already lost everyone important to him seemed to have diffused some of the boy's indignant anger.

"Well, I'll say we're both unlucky people. That's a fact," he continued, one hand in his pocket and the other effortlessly keeping the wire tight around Sasuke. "But we're not completely out of luck. You and I have important friends now, don't we?"

A vision of Naruto and Sakura grinning warmly at him floated over Sasuke's hanging head like a ghost. The anger was melting some, only to be replaced with a general miserable feeling.

"You understand because you lost important people. You were given the power of the Chidori because you have made valuable friends."

The wire slide off Sasuke's form and returned into the coil in Kakashi's hand.

"That power isn't used against friends or for revenge. You should know what that power is for. Think very carefully about whether or not what I said is off the mark."

Sasuke didn't twitch when Kakashi vanished. He didn't even look up.

* * *

Jiraiya had nearly physically winced when Kakashi had mentioned that Naruto and Sasuke's relationship was like his own with Orochimaru. How much like his relationship with Orochimaru?

He picked a strategic place to wait for the blonde and tried not to think about how he still couldn't fully define what he and Orochimaru had had.

A few seconds later, Naruto neared where he was leaning against the fence. The genin was walking down street in his direction, a scowl on his face and...was he going to just stalk by and not acknowledge his presence at all?

_That brat_, Jiraiya thought. "Oi! Naruto!"

He trudged on. Jiraiya's eye twitched—he didn't like being ignored. Kakashi's words again entered his mind and he remembered that his recognition meant little or nothing to Naruto next to Sasuke's.

_They'll either destroy each other or fall in love_, Jiraiya thought. He sighed and reluctantly made to follow after his apprentice.

"I'll buy you ramen," he called.

The boy stopped and turned to look at his teacher.

"...okay," he said finally and with much less enthusiasm than his favourite food usually inspired in him.

Nevertheless, he accompanied Jiraiya to Ichiraku's and plonked down on a stool, still lost in his thoughts. When Jiraiya called out for two orders of miso ramen with barbeque beef Naruto perked up a little.

"You must really want to say something, Ero-Sennin, if you're tempting me with ramen," Naruto said, his smile slowly creeping back.

"Right...remember how Kakashi said that rivalry's a difficult thing?"

"Sorta."

"Sorta?" Jiraiya said incredulously as their food was placed in front of them. "You were ten feet away!"

Naruto looked thoughtful as he pulled apart his chopsticks. "Yeah, well. I wasn't really listening. Itadakimasu!"

Naruto had inhaled half the bowl before Jiraiya got back on topic.

"Anyway...rivalry _is_ a difficult thing. It's a slippery slope. Sometimes you end up being worst enemies and other times...mah, things can get even more complicated."

Naruto's blue eyes regarded him blankly. "Sasuke's not _that_ complicated. He's just a bastard usually."

"No, I mean your relationship with him could change into...something more."

"Huh?"

Jiraiya sighed and good-naturedly realised that even if Naruto didn't get it now, he'd pick up on it eventually. He hoped. He glanced at the boy, who was ordering another bowl of ramen with gusto. He really did resemble the Yondaime sometimes.

He must really be old, he thought, to remember having trained three generations.

* * *

Sakura had been curled into a ball on the small balcony connected to her room for the last few hours. She absently watched the shadows cast by the afternoon light as she reminisced about the tumultuous year she'd spent as a member of Team 7. Her thoughts turned melancholy as she replayed this afternoon in her head. When had the cracks in their team begun showing?

She sat up straighter, fed up with feeling sorry for herself and her team mates. She would need to somehow get the three of them back to cooperating. She stood up, deciding that she'd start by talking to Naruto. Sasuke would be more difficult as she really wasn't sure what was wrong and was nearly positive that he wouldn't tell her anyway.

"Sakura!" A familiar voice called impatiently.

The pink-haired girl spun around to find Ino waving up at her from the street.

"Come on! They're posting who everyone's going to marry!"

"What? Oh, I completely forgot!"

Sakura turned and sprinted down the stairs, hollering a goodbye to her mother. She paused for a split second, remembering her vow to fix Team Kakashi, and resolved to find Naruto as soon as she could. Then she raced out to join her friend.

* * *

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting in that tree, his heart knocking back and forth like a metronome, but it was probably a while. It was true; he had learned over the last year to value Sakura, Kakashi, and, unfortunately, even Naruto. Sasuke shut his eyes for a minute, remembering the electric tension of anticipation before the recent fight on the rooftop. On the other hand, Sasuke could not just ignore the deeply rooted hate he had for Itachi.

Somehow, he had gained friends and had learned how to live life along principles other than mere revenge. There had even been times where he had marvelled at how little anger he had had in him at that moment. These were odd instances, far and few between. Some occurred during downtime, like the quirky lunch breaks he shared with his team mates, some occurred during combat, like when he had protected Naruto to the point of near-death in their first mission to Wave Country, but most of these moments were with Naruto.

Sasuke's lips twitched. That idiot always managed to provoke him to the point where just for a little while he could do nothing but react.

The bustle of a large group of people drew his attention away from his confusing thoughts. He watched the group move past the tree and belatedly remembered that he was to be shackled to someone. Sasuke tch-ed irritably but decided that he might as well go learn who. He figured he wasn't coming to any solid conclusions about where his life was going and his bad mood couldn't get much worse. He did his best to ignore the dread in his stomach as he stood up, stretched, and leaped out of the tree onto the street.

* * *

"You could be paired with your little friend, Sakura," Jiraiya said conversationally as the two slowly made their way towards the Hokage mansion.

Instead of lightening Naruto's spirits, as the frog hermit had hoped, the blonde frowned.

"I'm not really happy with her right now. I don't think I like her anymore," he said, sounding all of seven instead of twelve.

"Oh?" Jiraiya said with a laugh. "That didn't take much."

"She interfered with me and Sasuke and nearly got herself killed. What if she had died? She doesn't understand power, not like..."

"Sasuke?" Jiraiya supplied.

Naruto frowned again. "Well, yeah."

Jiraiya eyed the large crowd gathered around several sheets of paper posted on the side of the Hokage building. The noise level was quickly going up as couples hugged each other or avoided each other or yelled at each other.

"Well, you're on your own, kid," the frog hermit said before vanishing.

Naruto sighed before resignedly pushing himself into the swarming mass of people. Bits of informative conversation floated towards him as he tried not to get trampled on.

"Why were certain people told to see Hokage-sama personally?"

"Some people have intervillage marriages or weird circumstances I guess."

Naruto hurriedly ducked under some girl flinging herself into her boyfriend's arms. You'd think his outfit would make him easier to notice and thus less likely to get knocked into but, as Naruto was finding, that just wasn't true.

The noise got louder the closer he got to the message board.

"Wait! Who was paired with Sasuke?!" Some girl shrieked.

"Where is he?"

"THERE HE IS!"

Naruto paused and looked over his shoulder to see Sasuke walking calmly and untouched through the crowd. He looked like a man walking to his death, Naruto noted with a snicker.

"Who was paired with him?!"

"Is he in his pyjamas?"

Naruto fell into step with his dark-haired team mate (who hadn't bothered to change out of the comfortable clothes he'd been wearing at the hospital...or put on shoes for that matter), taking it as a sign of good will when Sasuke didn't punch him away. They both gave each other heavy sideways looks but neither made a move to escape the other's presence.

"Sasuke." Naruto said, and then fell dead silent for once. He really had no idea what to say. He certainly wasn't going to apologize.

"This is a bad deal for us," the dark-haired boy finally said, indicating the list of soon-to-be spouses.

"Huh? You mean getting married?"

"Neither of us has family."

"Yeah, no stupid rules to follow," the blonde said, accepting Sasuke's unspoken peace-offering. "I mean, you should hear everything Neji's gonna have to memorize."

"But we're left in the same low position. We don't get much priority in selection."

"But I wanted to be with Sasuke!" Someone yelled.

"You won't have too much of a problem I'm sure, Lord Uchiha," Naruto said, sticking his tongue out at his friend.

They both caught sight of a head of pink hair scanning the list intently.

"Sasuke's bride isn't listed!" Sakura called out loudly, trying to shut up the horde of frantic girls jostling her. _Oh_, she thought, _I'm not either. Maybe there's hope! Wait...neither is Naruto...or Lee for that matter._

She glared at the list until Ino elbowed her out of the way. Scowling, Sakura retreated to a safe distance and found herself near Shikamaru, who for all appearances, had no intentions to move through the crowd. He sighed.

"I'm with Ino," he said, watching said blonde run her finger down the list.

Sakura looked over at him, rubbing her sore ribs slightly.

"Huh? You haven't even checked the list yet."

"It's easy enough to figure out," Shikamaru said. "Most of the arrangements already draw on already existing compatible relationships, a.k.a. within our ninja squads. And since Chouji's family will want him to marry a foreigner, the logical answer is that it will be me and Ino."

"I thought teams were arranged solely on grades," Sakura mused thoughtfully.

Shikamaru shrugged. "That's part of it, I'm sure. But most of the teams are based on if the Hokage thinks we'll fight well together."

"That makes sense, I guess."

Sakura felt a surge of pride that she would be considered compatible with Sasuke. And, if she was being honest, with Naruto too. He'd gotten much stronger recently. Mainly by protecting her, Sakura thought a little embarrassedly.

It was then that she noticed both boys idling not too far to her right. She was unsure how they would interact after the earlier drama, but was cheered when they appeared to be talking, though a little more stiffly than usual. She hesitated for a minute before wishing Shikamaru luck with Ino and making her way towards her team mates.

"The three of us plus Shino, Chouji, and Lee have to see Tsunade later tonight," Sakura announced as she approached them.

"What? We're marrying foreigners?" Naruto asked.

"I don't think Tsunade-sama's stupid enough to entrust a political marriage to you, Naruto. She probably just has something weird planned," Sakura deadpanned.

"You're really mean sometimes, Sakura-chan," Naruto said.

She laughed good-naturedly to show him she was kidding. The three of them stood there in a semi-comfortable silence and watched Kiba wrestle his way to the message board.

Thankfully the Sasuke craze seemed to have moved away from the uninformative list, so Kiba had less of a trial getting to it. Akamaru was nestled in his usual place in his coat and since it was warm out, Kiba had his hood thrown back.

He studied the list and his eyes widened a little when he found 'Hyuuga Hinata' written next to his name. He grinned and moved away from the wall, a warm feeling spreading through his chest. He had long since had a bit of a crush on the shy girl. He had always thought she was pretty and after working on the same team as her, his affection had only increased.

"Do you smell Hinata anywhere?" He asked.

His little dog barked a negative so Kiba looked around for her, searching for her familiar white eyes in the crowd. Though he did find a pair, they belonged to Neji, who was standing awkwardly next to TenTen, who was blatantly staring at something to her left.

TenTen nervously tried to ignore the silence. She knew she was lucky. Any girl would be glad to marry Neji. He was handsome and smart...she just hadn't let herself think of him that way before for fear of throwing off their team's dynamics. Any member of a three-man squad learned quickly that favouring one team mate over another was the quickest way to deteriorate group cooperation, which meant making mistakes, which meant putting lives in danger.

It wasn't that Neji didn't like TenTen. Quite the opposite. She was exactly the type of girl he could respect and appreciate. And as a member of the Hyuuga clan, a betrothal had been in his future regardless of the Hokage's input. So he really had no problem with his upcoming marriage to his team mate. Now if only he could think of something to say to her.

He breathed slowly and watched Kiba scan the crowd for Neji's cousin before making his way towards where Team 7 was relaxing.

"Oi! Kiba!" Naruto yelled out in a loud greeting, not noticing that Sakura and Sasuke both winced slightly. "Who're you marrying?"

Kiba grinned and stuck his thumb up. "Hinata."

"You're marrying into the Hyuuga?"

"What? No! Hinata's becoming an Inuzuka, dumbass," Kiba said, folding his arms. "Have you seen her anywhere?"

"Yeah," Sakura piped up. "She was heading towards the Academy."

"Thanks," he called as he broke away from the group.

It took little to no time for him to navigate the familiar path to their old school. Images of red triangle tattoos resting under warm white eyes danced in his head. He made his way quietly into the courtyard, not seeing anyone. Then he heard it, a very hushed sound that caused his heart to constrict.

He approached the large tree silently and peered around its massive trunk. Sure enough, Hinata was sitting on the old wooden swing, crying to herself as quietly as she could.

Cold spread through Kiba and he backed away, stung. He left the scene as discreetly as possible, knowing the only reason his miserable future bride's eyes hadn't picked up on him right away was because she was too caught up in her emotions to focus.

Kiba clenched his fists. He needed to hit something. He knew Hinata well enough to know why she was crying. She had realised that she'd never be with Naruto...but was marrying Kiba really worth _tears_?

He scowled. Akamaru yipped comfortingly from his place against his master's chest as Kiba ran at full speed towards the training grounds to let off some steam.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Thanks very much to those who reviewed: **Black Light Princess**, **The person you can't remember**, **akume**, **Helen**, **Peter** **Kim**, and **Cinderelly**.

**Midnight Shining Star** – You're very good to me.


	3. Track 3

**Sealed  
III**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

Chapter 3

Sakura gazed at the darkening sky as she and her team mates slowly made their way back to the Hokage tower. The streetlights flickered to life and Sakura tried to think of something to say that a) would get Naruto to stop brooding, b) Sasuke wouldn't think was stupid, and c) would get them all comfortably talking again.

She hadn't come up with much.

The pink-haired girl stared at the backs of the heads of the two boys walking slightly in front of her. She noticed with some annoyance that they both seemed to be mostly fine with one another--there was the usual underlying rivalry but that was nothing new. This lead her to morosely guess that she was causing the awkwardness.

Her eyes narrowed. Well! Maybe boys could get over problems by beating the shit out of each other but she was a young lady, damnit, and she needed a bit more sensitivity than that.

She sighed. It didn't look like either of her team mates was going to be giving her much sympathy anytime soon. _What awful grounds to start a marriage on_, she thought dismally.

As Team 7 approached one of the entrances to the Hokage building, they encountered a familiar face leaving...well, a familiar pair of sunglasses leaving.

"Yo Shino!" Naruto called. Louder than necessary, Sakura thought irritably.

_That explains why Shino's so tall_, Naruto thought, eying the boy's father and noting the resemblances. Then his eyes fell on Shino's mother and after a few seconds, Sakura realised he was staring and elbowed him.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Aburame," Sakura said cheerfully.

Shino and his father both nodded in response.

"Good evening there, Sakura-san," Shino's mother chirped.

Naruto still couldn't stop looking from her to Shino and back again. Next to the two males, she couldn't have appeared more out of place. She was short, barely coming up to her husband's shoulder, and she had blonde hair that was held back by her pair of trademark Aburame sunglasses.

_Well, that explains...nothing, _Naruto thought, confounded. He looked at Sasuke for confirmation that this was not of the ordinary. But the manners Sasuke's mother had ground into him prevented him from mimicking Naruto. Instead, he politely asked,

"Shino, who are you betrothed to?"

"Oh, Shino's marrying a peach of a girl from an insect clan in Grass Country," Mrs. Aburame chattered, mouth going a mile a minute. "We're old family friends. She's arriving at the end of this week, isn't she, dear?" This last part was aimed at her husband.

"Hmm," Shino's father agreed with a nod.

"Well, we better be off! Absolutely tons of chores to take care of!" She laughed and pushed her stoic son ahead of her. "Good night all!" She called after them.

Naruto opened and closed his mouth a few times as the trio left them, walking down the lit street with Shino's mother still talking.

"Come on. We'll be late," Sakura said.

Naruto turned and saw his two team mates entering the building. He rushed to catch up.

"That...was ridiculous," Naruto muttered as they made their way up the stairs to Tsunade's office. "How does someone like _that_ become a ninja?"

"What, loud blondes?" Sasuke asked sarcastically. "I agree."

"Hey! Bastard!" Naruto said, indignant.

Kotetsu shushed them from his position near the double doors.

Izumo stifled a yawn before saying, "Take a seat. The Hokage will be with you as soon as she can. Except for you," he said, pointing at Sasuke. "She said you were to be sent right in."

Several chairs had been placed along the walls of the hallway, creating a haphazard waiting room. Sakura sat down in one opposite Tsunade's office and Naruto flopped next to her. Sasuke went through the door Kotetsu was holding open for him.

Tsunade looked up from her train wreck of a desk. There were scrolls splayed across its entire surface. Lists of family traditions were pinned to the wall along with a massive calendar for the spring season. Several days had already been marked. Sasuke noted absently that the Aburame wedding would be held later in the season.

When he fixed his attention to the Hokage, he paused for a minute, wondering why she appeared so...eager?

"Uchiha Sasuke, are you aware of the betrothal customs of your clan?"

Sasuke frowned, wondering why she would ask him that of all questions. She had access to all the Uchiha clan's scrolls and she knew he knew that. The scrolls with all their jutsus and rituals had been moved into the Hokage's custody for safekeeping after the destruction of his clan. Surely she wasn't asking him to fill in any blanks. As it was, he remembered having witnessed only one Uchiha wedding in his childhood.

"I know many. Which one?" He responded shortly.

The Hokage leaned forward, resting her elbows on a rumpled scroll and cradling her face in her hands. Sasuke thought that position made her look far too much like a teenager for a woman of her status.

"Your first kiss becomes your destiny," she said with a strange smile. She stuck her pinkie finger up. "And thus seals the betrothal."

"Tch," Sasuke said, clearly unimpressed by the idea. "Yes, I know that one. It was the key to an Uchiha engagement. I haven't thought about it since I was very young."

"But you agree to abide by it?" She said, her smile showing teeth now.

This wasn't helping Sasuke's bad mood in the least. He sighed irritably.

"Ye--" He stopped himself dead and his eyes widened as he remembered just who his first kiss was.

Was she really...? Was the _Hokage_ really serious?

"Understood," she said. Suddenly she was back to being the calm and shrewd leader of his village again, marking down something on a piece of paper on her desk.

Sasuke was so shocked all he could do was gape at her for several seconds.

"You...I'm...no. You...you're making me _marry_..._Naruto_!?" He stuttered out in a complete contrast to his usual cool manner.

_This is a joke_, he thought. _This is a joke._ He imagined Naruto in red lipstick and a wedding dress. And then imagined waking up every morning to that loudmouth's voice and his grinning face. He shook his head.

"No," he said simply, folding his arms like a stubborn child.

Tsunade settled herself for fight, ignoring the worry in the back of her mind. This was one of the few marriages that she needed to work. Because Naruto was difficult--his options were the most limited of his age group thanks to the abundance of first and second hand prejudices against him. Even the tolerant adults of the village were reluctant to go as far as to accept the Kyuubi-vessel into their family.

But Sasuke had no family. And it wasn't hard to see that Sasuke would blatantly refuse to marry regardless of whom she chose for him. Not to mention, he was the only one she could fully trust to watch the blonde's back--they were team mates after all.

Now all she had to do was get them to become something more. She put on her game face.

"Think of it as a business partnership. No children will be expected, clearly. But," Tsunade said, preparing for a gamble, "Should you want to continue your line, I suppose we could break years of Uchiha tradition and find you some nice homey girl for you to have babies with."

Sasuke paused at this suggestion and silently weighed the options she'd presented him.

The Uchiha clan had been massive, the biggest in Konoha, rivalled only by the Hyuuga. No one could expect him to revive it in its entirety. That was ridiculous. His thoughts turned dark as Itachi made his presence known. Sasuke frowned and decided hands down that he wouldn't have children until he killed Itachi. He wouldn't offer his brother any more victims.

Sasuke miserably thought of the last time he encountered his brother. He wasn't even close to killing Itachi. But until he was, could he put up with a girl too ecstatic to be his wife to speak properly?

_Ugh_, Sasuke thought. _I'd kill her. Or worse, Itachi would._

So, no. But he _could_ put up with his team mate for a few more months. Or years if it came to it.

Tsunade gnawed her lip behind her folded hands as she watched him think. If this didn't work, Naruto wouldn't marry. Whatever happened, she decided, she would not under any circumstances tell Naruto he had been left out again. She'd make something up--oh, you can't get married now, you have to train to be the next Hok--

"Fine," Sasuke said resignedly, slicing through Tsunade's thoughts. "I'll..._marry_ Naruto."

Tsunade had to stop herself from letting out a very un-Hokage like whoop of joy. Instead she merely smiled and said, "Good idea. I mean, what better way to keep tabs on your rival?"

"And no offspring are expected from my marriage?"

"You're twelve. We'll discuss that later," she deadpanned, rising from her chair to walk him to her door. "So, you won't have to kiss Naruto at all after the wedding..."

She paused with her hand on the doorknob, that smile returning to her face.

"...if, y'know, you _really_ don't want to," she added, pushing him out the open door.

Her tone of voice caused Sasuke to stumble on his way out. The image of Naruto in the dress and swooning in his arms came back to him and his eye twitched.

The hallway had filled with a few others while Sasuke was absent, but he barely acknowledged the arrival of Lee, who had seated himself next to Sakura, though it did register in the back of his mind that Lee was without his crutch.

They all gave Sasuke odd looks at his less that graceful exit. Behind him, Tsunade greeted and ushered in the Akimichi family along with a curvy girl and her parents, who were wearing headbands from the Hidden Village of Mist.

Naruto grinned and opened his mouth to volley questions at his dark-haired team mate but Sasuke took one look at Naruto, turned a surprising shade of red, and was down the hallway before the blonde could get a word out.

Lee, Sakura, and Naruto both stared curiously after him, question marks hovering over their heads.

"What was that!?" Naruto asked incredulously, turning to face the pink-haired girl.

Sakura shrugged. Then her eyes landed on something behind him and she gasped. Naruto turned again and his eyes widened.

"Where did you come from?" He sputtered out, pointing at the hallway's two newest arrivals.

Sakura stood up and took a defensive stance. Lee stood too but a small pain started in his shin, reminding him that he had to treat it gingerly.

With her hands on her hips and her massive fan on her back, Temari sighed exasperatedly.

"Sit down. We're not here to fight. Besides, last time I checked you weren't much of a threat anyway," she said with her usual arrogance.

Sakura suddenly grew self-conscious and she looked away with a frown. Lee's gaze was unreadable and fixed on the boy next to Temari.

"Hey! Don't be mean to Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled angrily, leaping up to stand at her side.

"That's right!" Lee yelled too, his attitude returning after the initial shock.

Kotetsu stiffened and Izumo's hand drifted to his kunai pouch. They were not about to permit a scuffle directly outside the Hokage's office.

"We are here for a peace treaty. This isn't appropriate," the fifth member of their little gathering said solemnly, his arms crossed in front of him.

Temari started and then closed her eyes with a smile. "Of course, you're right, Gaara," she said, conceding.

She set her large fan against the wall and sat down in one of the empty chairs. She crossed her legs, looking like she owned the hallway.

Sakura studied her for a minute, noticing that the Sand kunoichi wasn't regarding her brother with the same terror Sakura remembered from before. What had changed?

Tsunade's two door guards relaxed. Naruto and Sakura also retook their seats but Gaara chose to remain standing. His eyes locked with Lee's and the two just stared at each other. Gaara was surprised to find little to no hostility emanated from the other boy.

"So...you're here for a peace treaty?" Sakura inquired, trying to interrupt the awkward staring with polite conversation. Not that talking was any less awkward; the last time she had spoken directly to Temari had been when they had first met and Sakura had brashly accused her and her brothers of trespassing.

Temari folded her arms and Sakura noted the other girl's cleavage with some jealousy.

"Well, technically we're here _as_ the peace treaty," she said, smile playing on her lips.

Just then the doors to the Hokage office opened and Kotetsu stepped aside to let the two families exit. Tsunade allowed herself to breathe a little as she watched Chouji chat amiably to his new fiancée--at least _that_ pairing had been easy. She followed them with her eyes for a second before steeling herself for the next two marriages. Then she turned.

"You four," she said and then indicated her office with her thumb.

"Huh? Four of us?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Naruto, you'll be afterwards," Tsunade said before disappearing back through the doors.

Naruto hmphed and slid down into his chair. Temari and Gaara rose and followed obediently. Sakura got to her feet, Lee at her side. She didn't miss the hope in his eyes. And while she'd rather marry him than Gaara, she had an uncomfortable inkling that that wouldn't be the case.

When the four of them were situated in a semicircle around her desk, Tsunade decided to just get to the point. She glanced at the rising moon briefly.

"In case you haven't guessed already...Sakura, you are to marry Gaara, and Lee, you are to marry Temari."

The reactions were almost comical enough to make Tsunade laugh.

Gaara looked sidelong at Sakura, who had gone pale. Lee appeared blatantly distraught that he wouldn't be marrying the pink-haired girl. And Temari took one look at Lee's eyebrows and said a very firm, "No."

"As you know," Tsunade said, ploughing ahead. "Suna and Konoha's recent history is rocky. Your marriages are part of the new negotiation that should, if all goes well, keep peace between our two nations for a few years."

The four genin managed to hold their tongues for all of 0.3 seconds before they all started talking at once.

"B-but, Tsunade-sama--"

"No."

"Hokage-sama, I don't think--"

"..."

Their voices (sans Gaara's) were clambering higher in an attempt to be heard. Tsunade was drumming her manicured nails into the desk. She twitched, her patience finally run out.

"ALL RIGHT!" She yelled. "SAKURA WILL MARRY TEMARI AND LEE WILL MARRY GAARA!"

There was a stunned silence as the foursome incredulously considered the do-si-do. Then, to their horror, the Hokage smiled.

"Yes, I think that'll work. It'll be better if Lee marries Gaara anyway. And Temari, you'll become a Haruno," she said with some measure of satisfaction.

Gaara gave the Hokage a strange look. What was she thinking, pairing him with someone he had very nearly killed? He hadn't missed how Lee walked a little bit more stiffly now.

"I'm not a lesbian," Temari finally said.

"Don't have to be," Tsunade retorted before scribbling something down definitively on a piece of paper.

She looked up to find the genin eying their new partners sulkily.

Sakura hadn't impressed Temari much before but anything had to be better than that vision of herself in green spandex. Still, this was _not_ who Temari had wanted to marry.

Sakura tried to smile politely but Inner Sakura kept hollering that this girl was _Gaara's_ sister. And reminders of Temari's ruthless actions when fighting TenTen in the chuunin exam kept the smile from growing much.

Lee's eyes were lowered in disappointment and resignation. Tsunade's heart constricted when she looked at him. His bravery and determination had caused her to reserve a soft spot for him. But she had met with Gaara in a recent negotiation and he had surprised her by quietly requesting to speak to the shinobi he had critically injured during the Chuunin Exam.

"All right, it's decided. Off with you, we'll discuss the logistics of the weddings sometime in the next few days. In the meantime, Temari and Gaara, you will both accompany your fiancés as members of their respective teams. And you may tell the two ninja standing guard outside that they can take a break."

Taking this as the dismissal it was, they grumpily made their way out. Tsunade swirled her bottle of sake and grimaced when she found it empty.

By the time Naruto was allowed in to see her, Tsunade was so stressed that all she said was, "Naruto, you're marrying Sasuke, now get out or I won't let you become Hokage," before the unsuspecting boy was shoved back out into the hallway.

Tsunade sat back down and sank her head tiredly onto her desk. Not for the first time that day, she worried if she was going about this properly. She wondered if she was any good at being Hokage. Her eyes settled pensively on the full moon glowing outside her window.

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, telling herself that self-pity solved nothing. Doubt was her real problem at this point. She sat back up and told herself to keep trucking. She still had a few more things to take care of before the end of the night. She had to get in contact with Kakashi and tell him to monitor Sasuke. The Uchiha temper was hot right now; something might happen.

Of course, to get in contact with Kakashi, Tsunade would have to first get Shizune...which she would do as soon as a short eyesore of a ninja stopped banging against her door, hollering, "Is this what the bastard meant about low priority?!"

* * *

It was days like these that Orochimaru was sorely tempted to kill everybody he laid eyes on, but of course that was counterproductive.

Sasuke's fierce anger earlier had caused the seal to flare, prompting Orochimaru to gleefully send out the four still active members of the Sound Five. And these were _supposedly_ his best men.

"So why have you returned empty-handed?" He asked, his voice low and too calm to indicate anything other than a barely restrained fury.

"Sasuke-kun was not in a favourable position by the time we arrived," Kidoumaru said cautiously, his head bowed and all four arms folded demurely.

Tayuya swore an actual column of steam rose from Orochimaru's head. She flinched a little when he spoke again. Jiroubou breathed slowly, hands splayed on the floor.

"You weren't sent to have a heart-to-heart with him. All you had to do was engage and then defeat him in a fight. Surely even you could have done that."

A wave of pain wracked Orochimaru's body. He covered a wince with a sneer. In the corner, Kabuto eyed him knowingly.

"I will have to transfer into another body for now," the snake sannin continued, trying not to fist his hands. Kabuto had managed to heal his arms to the point where he had the very basic of motions--but this didn't ease the searing pain any.

The four ancillary ninja lowered their heads, if possible, a little further as their failure washed through them. Sakon snarled at the floor. None noticed Orochimaru's moment of weakness, or at least they pretended not to.

"There's a piece of information that will be of interest to you, Orochimaru-sama. Sasuke-kun and a large number of other Konoha ninja have been betrothed for the purpose of the village's prosperity," Kidoumaru continued, braving one last comment.

Orochimaru paused, this fact distracting him from the pain for a few seconds. Sasuke's engagement wouldn't interfere with his plans too much; he doubted the boy would get too attached to anyone very quickly. In fact, this held a handful of new possibilities--and Orochimaru planned on exploiting them all. Before his thoughts could inspect this topic much more, another bolt of pain shot through his arms.

"I don't have to say that I will not tolerate failure a second time," he snarled. "Get out of my sight."

The four left, their spirits disgruntled and their moods foul. They didn't like not completing their mission any more than their master did.

Kabuto approached the throne-like chair guardedly. He noted the blood beginning to seep through the bandages.

"Orochimaru-sama, we have many bodies prepared," he said, hands open. "You can even use mine."

Orochimaru had squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth to hold back the howl threatening to tear out of him.

"It must be Sasuke-kun," he grunted out. "Do you know how long I've been waiting?"

Kabuto saw red. "I'm declaring a state of emergency!" He said forcefully, his eyes flashing. "The Third's technique was stronger than expected."

Orochimaru sneered again as memories of that fight returned to taunt him. The feeling of life seeping out of his arms and leaving them numb still played a key role in his nightmares.

"If we don't transfer now, you might lose everything! Is that all right?!" Kabuto hollered.

"Lose everything?" Orochimaru hissed.

Kabuto took a deep breath before continuing. "We have the best people prepared. Please, leave everything to me."

With that, the medic-nin turned and determinedly stalked out of the room, offhandedly remembering to check on Kimimaro soon.

Orochimaru breathed raggedly and ignored the twin puddles of blood gathering next to his chair.

"When you come back," he said, trying not to wheeze, "I have a new assignment for you."

Kabuto absorbed these words as he made his way through the icy stone halls towards the dungeons.

Miles away, Sasuke slept fitfully, foxes and snakes running through his dreams.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Wow...you guys are awesome. An absolutely gorgeous thanks to

**YueYoukaiEclipse**, **akume**, **RavenMistress**, **Tainted** **Witch**, **NaRuKo77**, **VelvetDiamond**, **Jess** **Anime**, **Alley-Oop**, and **lynex7**.

**kcgal** – I'm always worried I'll fuck up the canon so it means a lot that you think it's alright. If you do find me getting way off canon (I do have to go off a little for the purpose of storytelling) feel free to let me know.

**Endless Snow** – Yeah, I know what you mean about getting attached to KakaIru through SasuNaru. Definitely happened to me. ;)

**Peter Kim** – Meh, who said anything about children?

**Midnight Shining Star** – Again thanks so much for keeping up with 'Out Of It' and also for your lovely comments on this story.

**Black Light Princess** – I'll never get why people insist on apologizing for long reviews. Reviews are like pieces of cake, who doesn't want big pieces? ;) Hehe. Don't worry, the characters'll spice up a bit as the story goes on (if I do my job right).

**DaUglyChibi** – You are a peach, you know that? Not to mention I owe you a big thank you for the review on 'Out of It' too. :)

**NekoAnime** – I'm really glad you're reading this story too. And coughcough Don't write off ShikaTem just yet coughcough SHHH!


	4. Track 4

**Sealed****  
IV**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 4

Several days later, the sky was a pale and creamy blue, the sun was bright, and Sasuke could not understand why he couldn't stop thinking about the Kyuubi. He stared into space thoughtfully.

The large fox had appeared in his dreams, grinning at him and wrestling with snakes alternately. He had sat in bed for ten minutes after he had woken up and eventually chocked it up to his memory of Naruto battling Gaara. Naruto had henge-d himself and Gamabunta into a gargantuan facsimile of the Kyuubi. Sasuke still didn't know why his team mate had chosen that form, of all animals to come to mind. It seemed far too simple to chock it up to mere impulse.

He was frustrated that he couldn't figure this out and frustrated that he didn't know why he couldn't stop thinking about it. Not to mention the incessant sound of hammers in the background wasn't helping.

He saw Temari and Sakura approaching the bridge from the left and caught a flash of orange out of the corner of his right eye.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out heartily. "Did Tsunade-sama tell you who you were going to--"

"Morning Sakura-chan!" Naruto hollered as he drew near the centre of the little bridge, where Sasuke was leaning against the railing with a bored expression on his face.

Usually, Sasuke would wince at the sudden noise but he was relieved to have avoided Sakura's question again. She had pestered him daily about who his bride was to be but Sasuke wasn't about to admit out loud who his fiancé was until absolutely necessary.

Naruto didn't seem terribly keen on letting Sakura know about the engagement either for some reason. To Naruto, it would make the fact that he'd lost Sakura for good too real. And it was easier to just ignore it and hope it all went away.

At Naruto's entrance, in lieu of Sasuke, an irritated look flourished onto Temari's face instead.

"Are you always this loud in the mornings?" She asked, hardly believing this was the same boy that had beaten her brother in a fair fight.

"Hey, how's Gaara?" He said in lieu of a response, grin growing on his face.

"Don't be cheeky," she snapped, though a smile was lightly gracing her lips as she thought of how different Gaara was now, how much more...whole.

She resolved to someday thank this boy for restoring her brother back to the compassionate human that had nearly been destroyed all those years ago. Someday...she'd do it _someday_. Right now, he didn't need the ego boost, Temari thought, folding her arms.

"Oh!" Sakura said, smacking her forehead. "I have a gift for you, Temari."

The pink-haired girl slung off her backpack to rifle through it and Temari nodded.

"I have yours too."

"Your what?" Naruto asked, looking back and forth between them.

"Ah, here," Sakura said, pulled out a simple but elegant, long, black lacquered box. The Sand kunoichi reached into her kunai pouch and drew out a rather lumpy looking package tied with some string.

The girls traded items with polite gestures, though both fully expected to hate their gifts. Temari opened hers first, lifting the lid off the box. She frowned in surprise when she realised her little fiancée had gotten her something not only rather nice, but something very, well..._her_.

She took out the handheld fan and opened it with a flick of her wrist that was not unlike the harsh way she opened her weapon in a fight. A smile broke out on her face when she saw its simple design. It was a miniature version of the heavy battle fan strapped to her back.

"Thank you," she said, a little surprised at how much she meant it.

Sakura smiled and gave up on trying to untie the multitude of string that bound her gift. She pulled out a kunai and neatly sliced through the packaging, blinking when she saw what lay inside the slipshod wrap job. She breathed out in admiration as she held the necklace up.

It consisted of intricately crafted strings of small red, pink, white, and black glass beads that came together in a complex crisscross pattern. Sakura recalled hearing that glasswork was one of Sand's main exports; she hadn't considered that that meant jewellery too.

Temari observed the obvious delight in Sakura's eyes, which were a clear indication that the gift was appreciated. Then again, girls weren't too hard to shop for, Temari thought. Every girl liked pretty things after all.

"How did you guys buy presents for each other so quickly?!" Naruto asked/yelled, utterly befuddled. "You learned you'd be marrying each other like four days ago!"

"Expedited shipping from Sand," Temari said smugly, as Sakura tucked both their gifts into her backpack for safekeeping.

Before Sakura could lecture Naruto on the value of reacting to any and all situations promptly and efficiently, Naruto forgot not only his question but the fact that he had decided to ignore his fiancé. He turned to Sasuke with a look of realisation on his face and his mind on gifts.

"Hey, did you get _me_ anything?"

Sasuke snorted. "No."

He crossed his arms and Sakura frowned, confused.

"Well, if you're going to be an Uzumaki, you should probably get on that," he said assertively.

Amused, Temari watched as Sasuke's bored look evaporated finally to be replaced by annoyance. She didn't notice the slowly dawning horror on her future wife's face.

"What? You're going to be an Uchiha, dumbass," Sasuke snapped, too annoyed at the concept of having the idiot's last name to be surprised at the broken cold shoulder.

Before Naruto could retort, Sakura exploded.

"Wait! What? WHAT?!"

It was then Naruto remembered that he and Sasuke had silently agreed to ignore their impending marriage; as such, no one had been told about their wedding yet.

"Oops," Naruto muttered and then braced himself.

"NARUTO?! You...YOU are marrying SASUKE!?!"

Guilt weedled its way into Naruto's brain, which was currently in cower mode. Even Sasuke looked a little nervous.

"How!? What?! WHY?!?"

"Oh, shut up!" Temari said with bite, earning Sasuke's respect with three words.

Sakura, her anger suddenly cut short, soon felt her eyes filling up with tears. She turned away, trying to hold them in. Damn it! She was not a little girl anymore! She was a ninja! Ninjas did not dissolve into tears...even when their dreams got shattered beyond repair. Still the tears fell. She took deep breaths to try and hide any potentially embarrassing noises.

She gave a start at the feel of an arm around her shoulders. She looked up, half-hoping it would be Sasuke. Instead, it was Temari, who then led her away from the two boys and off the bridge. Sakura wiped at the tears, feeling her cheeks burn. Like Temari didn't think she was weak enough as it was, she thought humiliated.

"Breathe," Temari said, her arm still holding the smaller girl's shoulders in what she hoped was a comforting manner.

"Sorry," Sakura said, taking a few more deep breaths and swiping at a few more errant tears.

"S'okay," Temari said with something resembling sensitivity. "I can kinda relate."

At any other time, Sakura would have pondered this thoroughly and tried to sort out who Temari had wanted to be paired with. But right now, all she could think of was her memory of Sasuke's little speech from right before the start of the third section of the Chuunin exam. He had basically told her not to get in his way and then told Naruto that he wanted to fight him too. Which for them, Sakura thought with a tiny wry laugh, was the equivalent of her getting snubbed.

Temari squeezed her fiancée's shoulders as she appeared to calm down a little.

"This is why it sucks being analytical," Sakura said quietly, rubbing at her eyes and nose a little more.

"Huh?" Temari asked, her arm retreating a little awkwardly so she could stand facing the younger girl.

"Cause I can tell they're good together," Sakura continued, with a snuffle.

"That does suck."

Sakura gave a teary laugh. "It really does."

"You ready to go back?"

Sakura sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "Yeah...I have to sometime, right?"

Temari offered her a lopsided smile. "Yeah."

The two boys were quietly talking/bantering when the two girls returned. They broke off into a tense pause as they caught sight of Sakura. Naruto looked guilty. Sasuke looked something close to indifferent but he subtly avoided meeting Sakura's red-rimmed eyes.

It was Sakura who bravely, if a little shakily, spoke first. "So, did you, um, pick a last name?"

She had promised herself she would mend the cracks in their team. She wasn't about to disappoint herself now. She could tend to the indescribably painful ache in her chest later, when she was alone. She took another deep breath.

Naruto shook his head. "The bastard'll come around eventually though," he said, shy grin returning to his face. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Wait," Naruto said suddenly, scrutinizing the two girls. "How does the last name work for you?"

"You don't know?" Temari asked.

Naruto shook his head.

Temari sighed. "Didn't you notice that your Hokage doesn't use a last name?"

"Uhh..."

"Okay, Hokages and Kazekages and so on leave off the last name--"

"Well," Sakura interjected, leaping at the chance to impart some information (it would take her mind off the fact that her teammates were..._engaged_ to each other). "Sometimes the first name is left off instead. Sandaime only used his last name."

"Right," Temari conceded. "They just take their village as their name to demonstrate their positions. Their lines usually continue that too."

Naruto looked like he was watching a tennis match as Sakura then picked up the thread again.

"Like the Godaime's full title is Konoha no Tsunade," she said, gaining more vitality the more she talked. "And then if Tsunade happened to marry, she'd take the name of her spouse but then her children and grandchildren would usually take no last name. Y'know, like Konoha no Konohamaru."

"So I'm going to become Haruno Temari and Sabaku no Gaara'll be Rock Gaara," Temari continued.

While she and Sakura persisted in their tag team explanation, something small clicked in Sasuke's head: Naruto wasn't necessarily stupid, he just didn't _know_ a lot. He hadn't had teachers that cared quite as much whether he was paying attention or understood the material. He hadn't had parents to supply him with the general knowledge that other kids knew and took for granted.

Sasuke briefly wondered why his team mate hadn't been adopted. All ninja villages had a solid system of orphanages and adoptions--they had to. The nine-tailed fox ran across his thoughts again and he frowned, realising he was missing something very obvious but he wasn't sure what it was..._why_ was Naruto so shunned?

Sasuke wasn't called a genius for nothing. He was almost completely sure the answer to that question was the key to why thoughts about the Kyuubi were bugging him. He already had a vague theory floating around his head. But he didn't have enough information to get his conclusion.

Sasuke tilted his head back and eyed the sky...god, he hated hammers.

"_Where_ is Kakashi-sensei?" Temari asked irritably.

"It's only been half an hour," Naruto said thoughtfully. "His record is five hours and forty five minutes, I think, right?"

Sasuke nodded and then a sudden cloud of thick smoke appeared next to him and spat out their sensei.

"You're late!" Sakura and Naruto roared, fingers pointed accusingly at the masked jounin.

"My-uh, stairs caught fire..."

"Liar!" They yelled.

"You have a one-floor apartment," Sasuke said resentfully.

Temari sighed, suddenly missing her brothers.

Although it had been the only thing the entire village had been talking about for the last two weeks, Kakashi appeared utterly uninterested in gossiping about his students' new status of 'betrothed'.

Appeared being the key word there.

His mask hid a smile he couldn't keep off his face. After all, he had a front-row seat to watch how the biggest couple in town played out.

"This marriage thing and the addition of another member to the team will not be permitted to tamper with team dynamics and efficiency, got it?" He said, his voice steady and reflecting none of his giddiness.

He went on to inform his team that they could have tomorrow afternoon off for the Hyuuga wedding if they'd like while his mind perversely imagined how much more interesting life would get once Naruto and Sasuke's hormones kicked in.

* * *

The next day was just as blue-skied and warm. The Hyuuga clan could not have asked for a more beautiful spring day, Lee thought as he absently gazed out the hospital room's window. It was going to be a hot afternoon.

The Godaime ran her hands slowly over his bare back, checking his recovery as he sat on one of the examining tables. She sighed.

"Lee, why are you so tense? Relax."

"Right. Sorry, Hokage-sama," Lee consciously loosened the muscles in his back.

There were a few more moments of silence as Tsunade continued the check up. Lee sat, seemingly lost in thought and slowly tensing as the minutes went by.

"What's bothering you?" She said as her hands dropped and she came around to face him.

"I'm not questioning your supreme authority or equally supreme womanly intuition but are you sure it's a good idea that I marry Gaara?"

"Yes," she said, sounding oddly adamant.

"Ah. I see," he said dejectedly.

His gaze sank to the floor as Tsunade made some notes on a clipboard lying on the nearby counter. She glanced over at him and seeing his obvious distress, sighed again and put down her pen.

"Lee," she said, coming to stand in front of him again.

He looked up at her.

"Trust me. Give Gaara a chance. He's changed since you fought him," she said gently.

Lee's spirit appeared somewhat rekindled. He offered her a small but honest smile and nodded his head in a way that implied determination.

She laughed a little at his energy. "On the bright side, your recovery is going beautifully. You'll be just fine for your team mate's wedding this afternoon. Just don't push yourself too hard."

* * *

Gaara eyed himself in the bathroom's small mirror and lazily decided that he looked fine the way he was. He glanced at the time on his way out of the hotel room, slung the straps of his gourd over his shoulders, and made his way outside.

He found Lee sheepishly kicking around a couple of stones on the street. Despite the ubiquitous orange leg warmers, in his dark green and white yukata, he didn't look quite as ridiculous as he usually did in his spandex. He noticed Gaara immediately.

"Good afternoon!" Was called out cheerfully.

Gaara nodded and fell into step as Lee began walking down the street.

"I was wondering how much longer you would be after your well-endowed sister came out," Lee said after a slight pause.

"She said she was meeting with Sakura-san beforehand," Gaara supplied, opting to ignore the 'well-endowed'. There was again a lull in the conversation before Gaara said, "You seem to be lacking some of the spirit you had before, when we fought."

Lee looked over, surprised. Gaara didn't meet his gaze and instead stared straight ahead.

"What ever you say..." Lee acquiesced, unsure of where the conversation was going.

"Is it because you have to marry me?" Gaara asked as though the word 'tact' didn't even have the honour of existing.

Lee absorbed this as he eyed Gaara and he was suddenly struck by the height difference. He remembered that Gaara was a year younger than him and nearly laughed at how irrelevant that information was when it came to battle statistics.

Lee was thinking long enough for Gaara to finally glance over at him as they were walking.

"I don't have a grudge against you or anything. But...because of you...I went through some tough times," the older boy admitted slowly. He was watching the Hyuuga complex as it came into view around the corner.

Gaara stopped walking for a minute, forcing Lee to halt at his side.

"Is that right?" He said quietly, eyes first on the ground and then on the bustling crowd moving towards the wedding lying inside the Hyuuga's open gates.

There was another awkward pause and Lee wondered morbidly if their entire marriage was going to be like this.

"Let's go watch your team mate get married," the redhead said eventually.

A full smile blossomed onto Lee's face as a silent understanding settled itself calmly in between the two boys. There would be no apologies for what had happened before...but there wouldn't be any hard feelings either.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

GAH. So so sorry for the long waiting period. Finals were like a punch in the face. But now I've got 5 weeks worth of time to kill so I'll get plenty writing done ;)

Mucho mucho mucho thanks to **NaRuKo77**, **Midnight Shining Star**, **Alley-Oop**, **RavenMistress**, **MangaMonger31261**, **wingsonfire**, **tenshi ai123**, **lynex7**, and

**Jess Anime**.

**Laie Himura de Fanel** – You're kind of absolutely terrific. Thought you should know.

**Hikari M666** – Well, 'plausible' was my goal so it's awesome to hear you say that.

**Stalker-san** and **Social disorder** – Don't worry; hopefully your questions will be answered in the next few chapters. ;)

**FlamencoPenguin** – Thank you so much for your awesome review! It was so encouraging, I honestly went and started this chapter right away.

**Peter Kim** – Keep reading, keep reading. ;) You'll see. But no, there won't be mpreg...mpreg kinda freaks me out and makes me laugh incredulously at the same time.

**Kyme** – Oodles of thanks! It was because of your review that Iruka got a bigger role in the next chapter. :) Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to fit in Orochimaru/Tsunade in this story, but I hope you'll keep reading:P


	5. Track 5

**Sealed  
V**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 5

Sakura had never been inside the Hyuuga complex before but she wasn't surprised at its size; somehow she had always imagined it to be something like this. She glanced around, admiring the decorations. White and red lanterns had been strung all around the large courtyard in the centre of the compound. And the temporary altar that had been set up at one end of it was surrounded by a semicircle of large white candles that cast a slight glow over the guests seated closest to the front, which were the immediate family members of the bride and groom.

Sakura looked for Hinata's dark head and frowned. The eldest daughter of the main house should be sitting with her family near the front. Sakura found Hyuuga Hiashi's unmistakable form and his youngest, Hanabi, dressed up like a doll at his side, but Hinata wasn't with them. After another scan of the courtyard, Sakura found her sitting next to Kiba and his sister.

"All this for the wedding of a member of the branch family?" Someone was saying.

"Yes, it's strange...Hyuuga Hiashi has been...different since the Chuunin exam."

Bored, Temari glanced at the two strangers behind her from her place next to Sakura, idly wondering what had changed.

"C'mon," Sakura said, tapping Temari on her elbow before making her way towards an open place to sit. Guests were sitting on tatami mats that had been laid out across the entire courtyard and untaken seats were quickly disappearing.

"Sakura!" A voice called.

Both Temari and Sakura looked behind them to see Ino waving them over to where they were sitting. Her other arm was through a bored Shikamaru's.

Sakura happily sat next to her blonde friend and Temari sat on her fiancée's other side. The seat next to her was quickly filled by an old man in glasses.

"Gorgeous necklace," Ino said, reaching up to Sakura's neck to lightly run her fingers over the beads. The afternoon sunlight played over the different coloured glass.

"Temari got it for me," Sakura said with a grin.

"Oh, I'm jealous! Shikamaru hasn't gotten me anything yet," Ino said, playfully elbowing him.

He grumbled something unintelligible in response.

Sakura craned her head to try and get a view of the altar while Ino kept on chattering to the half-asleep genius. His eyes lazily flew over Ino and Sakura and then Temari's dark green ones trapped his gaze.

Her face was unreadable. Shikamaru acknowledged that he was no Neji; he couldn't read people like books. The only thing he knew right now was that Temari was looking at him and she wasn't looking away. And he had somehow gotten himself into a staring match with her. He groaned inwardly.

"What do you think, Shikamaru?"

"What?" He said, shifting his attention to his blonde team mate.

"Weren't you listening to a _thing_ I said?!" Ino screeched.

Shikamaru winced and Temari scowled. "Uh... no. Keep your voice down. Maa, women are so tr--"

"Finish that sentence and you'll regret it," Ino interrupted, shooting a glare at her fiancé.

"Eh...Oh look, a wedding."

With Ino successfully distracted by Neji and TenTen's entrance, Shikamaru rolled his eyes and then closed them, wondering how mad Ino would get if he slept through the entire ceremony. Oh well, it might get her to stop acting like he had actually proposed to her.

* * *

Neji always managed to carry a regal attitude about him and his black, white, and red yukata merely served to emphasize this. TenTen stood next to him in her ornate, white wedding kimono, visibly excited. Her hair was still in its usual buns but they were tied with white, red, and gold cords.

She looked very pretty, Hinata thought as the bride and groom took their seats in front of the priest. Tsunade sat directly behind them.

The priest's height over the two sitting genin reminded Hinata that no matter how regal Neji was or how pretty TenTen was, they were still just kids. Hinata felt her stomach flutter. She was only twelve after all but soon it would be her approaching an altar.

She glanced at Kiba without having to move her eyes (ah, the uses of almost 360-degree sight). She sighed quietly, feeling guilty and a little ashamed that she had cried over not marrying Naruto.

Kiba heard her sigh and leaned to whisper in her ear, "I bet you'll look prettier."

She blushed and to Kiba's delight a smile graced her features. Akamaru, lying between the two, accompanied the compliment with a lick to the girl's hand. Cheered, Hinata scratched behind the little dog's ears.

She loved Kiba as a team mate, as a friend. She could learn to love him as a husband, she thought decisively. She could. They were getting married at sunset tomorrow. She'd let herself have a few moments of weakness today but resolved by then to be completely happy with her soon-to-be husband.

She looked back up at the altar bathed in candlelight and the shallow afternoon shadows. She carefully avoided looking at the backs of the heads of her family, not wanting to remember her father telling her to sit with her new family, the implications laid into the words carefully; she already might as well not be a Hyuuga. She really shouldn't be surprised.

She shook her head, trying to clear it and turned her entire focus onto the ceremony.

Neji seemed to be executing the entire wedding as he would a mission and TenTen seemed to be acting like the thirteen-year-old girl she was for once. She was delighted and was finally allowing herself to think about Neji like a girl and not just like his team mate.

Neji relaxed when the ceremony ended and nothing had gone drastically wrong. He wouldn't admit to anyone how nervous he'd been beforehand. Glad he hadn't embarrassed himself, he extended his hand. The now Hyuuga TenTen took it with a smile that Neji found himself returning.

* * *

Most guests lingered after the wedding, enjoying the lavish Hyuuga hospitality. But Sasuke left Naruto chatting with Chouji and Shikamaru and made his way through the afternoon to the Hokage building, where Shizune had forced Tsunade to return not long after the reception started.

Sasuke entered the Godaime's office and stopped. Momentarily thwarted, his eyes searched the room for her.

"What can I do for you now?" sighed several stacks of paper wearily from the expansive desk.

Sasuke blinked and Tsunade pushed aside one of the stacks of documents that were so tall they were hiding her from view.

Sasuke inwardly snorted to himself, thinking of how Naruto would _love_ this part of being Hokage.

"Why does Naruto have no family?" Sasuke asked.

Tsunade paused mid-yawn, close to admiring Sasuke's lack of tact. She dealt with politicians and thus straight forward people were appreciated. She continued her yawn and added a stretch. She hadn't even changed out of the formal kimono she had worn to the wedding.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked, her head coming to rest on her hand.

Sasuke folded his arms. "If I'm going to marry the idiot, I would think I have a right to know if I'm to expect any in laws."

"Naruto is the last Uzumaki," she said with a dismissive wave. "Much like you're the last Uchiha."

Sasuke frowned. "You're ending two lines with one marriage? Why are marriages in the village needed if not for their offspring?"

Tsunade scowled from between her miniature skyscrapers of work. "I said we'd discuss children later. Children are expected from heterosexual couples but they're not downright required. I'm not breeding ninjas, I'm simply enhancing the village's prosperity in appearance if not specifically population." She waved her hand again. "It's politics."

There was a pause before Sasuke said. "You haven't answered my original question. Why wasn't Naruto taken in by another family?"

"_You_ weren't," Tsunade pointed out lazily.

"I begged not to be."

Tsunade silently debated whether telling Sasuke about the Kyuubi before the wedding was a good idea. She saw Sasuke noting her hesitation. She was still nervous about Naruto's marriage but...she figured that she had tricked the Uchiha heir enough. Opting for honesty then.

Sasuke didn't comment on her uncertainty and merely waited for her to say something.

"This really should be up to Naruto but...sit down, Uchiha."

He sat in one of the chairs facing her desk because she made it obvious she wouldn't be continuing until he did.

"You know the story of the Nine Tails?" She said reluctantly.

"That it was defeated by Yondaime?" Sasuke supplied, curiosity piqued as this seemed to be right on track with his thoughts from earlier.

"It wasn't defeated...It was sealed inside your team mate."

Sasuke expected himself to be more surprised but all he felt at that moment was the familiar satisfaction of something finally being solved. Along with the mysteries surrounding Naruto, the mysteries surrounding their marriage were made clear too. Tsunade really didn't care about their children at all; she just wanted to take care of her precious Naruto. _And_, Sasuke reasoned, _I'm the best candidate. Maybe even the only candidate._

Sasuke's mind flashed to the second part of the Chuunin exam, something he didn't enjoy thinking about. That entire thing had been a chronicle of him failing and Naruto succeeding spectacularly; he had to work not to let his disgust show on his face, lest Tsunade take it the wrong way. But he had had a good look into Naruto's eyes in the Forest of Death. It was a wonder he hadn't sooner guessed those red eyes hid something.

Tsunade waited for Sasuke to respond. On the inside, her stomach was clenching anxiously.

"I assume no one was told so as to spare Naruto?" He finally asked, calm as ever.

"Aren't you clever? Yes, and as you can see, it hasn't worked all too well," she said, a little bitterness creeping into her voice. "Now, if you don't mind, I have actual _piles_ of work to do. I'll see you back here this evening, so...shoo."

* * *

Sasuke's head was buzzing and he left the Hokage's office on autopilot. As such, he was almost surprised when someone stepped out into his path. Brief irritation sizzled through him at his absentmindedness. He watched Sakura stare at her fidgeting hands for a few seconds. Then his patience packed its bags.

"What are you doing following me?" He asked apathetically.

She took a deep breath and swallowed a lump in her throat but words still weren't coming out of her mouth.

Sasuke sidestepped her slowly and kept walking.

Tears toppled down her face as she finally found her voice. "Why?"

He stopped, hearing the tears in her wavering speech. He inwardly cringed. He had no experience or interest in crying girls.

"Why am I not good enough?" She continued. "Why won't you open up to me? Or tell me anything?" She turned and pleaded to his back. "Why won't you say anything to m--"

"Why do I have to tell you anything?" Sasuke snapped. "It's none of your business. Stop concerning yourself with what I do."

Sakura quietly swallowed again. "You've always hated me, huh?" She said with a sad smile, remembering their first day as Team 7, when Sasuke had criticized her lack of sympathy for Naruto's orphan status. "And I guess you've always understood Naruto even if you didn't like him."

"I walk a different path than you guys," he said slowly. "I try to think it's my path to do the things we do now but my purpose is revenge no matter who I'm married to. I can't become like you or Naruto."

"Are you going to choose to be alone again?" Sakura asked desperately. "You were the one who taught me solitude was painful. I understand that so well right now. I have a family, and I have friends. I even have a fiancée. But to me...if you ever leave, it'll be the same as being alone."

"Things change," he said, his voice a dull monotone that sharply contrasted Sakura's emotion infused words. "You'll forget me. Besides, even if I don't go anywhere, I'm getting married."

"I...Sasuke, I love you so much!" She sobbed, her final defences crumbling. "If you're with me, I'll make sure you won't regret it. Every day will be fun. We'll definitely be happy. I'll do anything for you. I know about your clan. Please. I...I'll help you with your revenge. I'll do something! Please stay with me!"

There was a pregnant pause as her words flew into the air and hung there for a few seconds.

"You really _are_ annoying," Sasuke said, intentionally sounding as heartless as he could--the sooner she let him go, the better, whether he left the village or not. He started walking again, not even sparing a glance behind him.

"I won't be coming to the wedding," she mumbled, her voice small and defeated.

Sasuke's steps paused as he thought about this. "Naruto will be upset."

* * *

Naruto watched the last of the golden light from the sunset hit the wall of his little apartment. It made the gem on his necklace sparkle; his wedding outfit left it in plain view. He was standing with his arms out as Iruka fastened and fitted the yukata around his antsy twelve year old self.

Naruto's mouth had been running non-stop since his sensei had arrived there.

_He's nervous_, Iruka realised.

"Ne, you have to marry too!" Naruto said suddenly. "I just remembered, your birthday's at the _end_ of May, right? It's only the beginning, so you're still twenty-four."

"Until May 26, that's right" Iruka supplied with a sigh. "We all have to do what's best for the village, Naruto." Then he muttered, "Even if that means marrying Anko."

Naruto snickered.

"You're one to laugh. She's just like you," Iruka said, swatting his former student playfully.

"Oh, so you'll like her."

Iruka laughed and suppressed any of his trepidation about his own betrothal; this was Naruto's day after all.

"Hold still. Let's straighten you up a bit more," he said, tugging at thick red cord acting as a belt.

"I don't see why I have to get all dressed up," Naruto grumbled. "No one's really gonna be there."

"Nonsense, we'll all be there, and besides, it's orange, your favourite colour," Iruka prompted as he stepped back to inspect his handiwork.

Naruto swung his arms, testing the comfort level of the orange yukata jacket. White spikes decorated the hems of the sleeves and his shoulders were accented with black. A blue cord tied in front of his chest. Iruka smiled as Naruto tested a kick and nearly lost his balance on the white sandals, but at least there were no complaints about the black pants he wore under the jacket.

"Plus there's the party after. With ramen," Iruka added and watched as his former student's face cracked into a grin.

"Almost makes marrying the bastard worth it."

* * *

Naruto tried not to fidget as he stood in front of Tsunade's desk, which had been haphazardly transformed into an altar. It had been cleared of the papers that crowded it earlier and the flames of the large candles reflected blurrily in its now gleaming surface.

Half of Sasuke's mind was paying attention to Tsunade as she read through the ceremony in front of them and the other half wondered why Naruto kept glancing at him like that. He hadn't gotten his hair cut _that_ short. It was about the length it had been before the start of the chuunin exam. And besides, Naruto was one to stare, Sasuke thought. _He_ wasn't the one with face paint on.

The blonde had--after Iruka had left to get himself ready for the wedding, of course--artfully decorated his eyes with thick red streaks. It wasn't as complex as the pattern he'd managed to achieve for his ID photo but it was just as dramatic. Four strips of red paint spread out from each eye to the edge of his face, like the tails of the fox hidden away inside him.

_Just missing one_, Sasuke thought grimly, counting the streaks.

Tsunade could have been yodelling for all Naruto knew. He peeked at Sasuke again. His team mate looked remarkably grown up in his wedding yukata. It was long, coming down past Sasuke's knees, and blue, Sasuke's favourite colour, with a large white diamond patterning each arm. The thick cord belt around his waist was dark red, like Naruto's, and, also like his soon-to-be husband, he wasn't wearing the forehead protector. The layer under the jacket was white. Even Sasuke's boots were white.

Sasuke's outfit was making Naruto realise that he was _really_ marrying Sasuke. Naruto gulped. And in a wedding the groom and the...other groom had to kiss. It was bad enough accidentally kissing the bastard in front of their entire class but now he had to do it ON PURPOSE in front of Tsunade, Iruka, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Shizune, who were all standing behind him.

Of course, his audience was a little less attentive than Naruto's anxieties would have him believe. If he had had the nerve to look over his shoulder, he would have seen that though Shizune seemed to be paying attention, she was actually prioritizing what the Godaime would need to get done by tomorrow, Jiraiya and Kakashi had finished making bets and were both grinning, and Iruka was smiling, glad to be there for his favourite student but a little distracted by thoughts of his own wedding. The four were collected in a rough semicircle behind the two genin.

One of which was silently fuming. Sasuke couldn't get his mind off of Itachi's disinterest in him, how it had become about Naruto. He glanced at his future spouse's wandering blue eyes and remembered them fierce and staring at him on the hospital rooftop as the blonde stated calmly that he wouldn't be a dropout forever. Sasuke's fists clenched a little.

And then there was the fox, silently supplying Naruto with exceptionally strong, if poisonous, back up chakra. Sasuke eyed the blonde and felt his anger morph into curiosity. He wondered exactly where the power stopped being Naruto's and became the demon's.

His focus brought Tsunade back into the foreground and Sasuke noted that the ceremony was just about over. He spent a brief moment being glad that his wedding was not the tightrope affair that the Hyuuga one had been. Then Tsunade stopped speaking and rolled up the scroll in her hands.

"Did you decide on a last name?" She asked.

Sasuke said 'Uchiha' at the same time Naruto said 'Uzumaki' and inevitably, this entailed a glaring match. Kakashi rolled his eyes at the usual routine. But he understood the quibble with perfect clarity, even if neither of the boys had spoken of it: both Naruto and Sasuke were orphans both unwilling to lose one of the last links to their families.

"I'll take that as a 'no.' Why don't we just hyphenate it in alphabetical order?" The Hokage asked in a wheedling voice.

"Alright," Naruto said flippantly. "Not that it matters _that_ much. I won't need a last name when I'm Hokage after all."

Tsunade's eye twitched. She took a deep breath and then calmly continued, stepping aside to leave access to the scroll open on her desk.

"I pronounce you Uchiha-Uzumaki Sasuke and Uchiha-Uzumaki Naruto. Sign this, kiss, and then let's go party!"

"Hokage-sama!" Shizune admonished.

Tsunade had the urge to stick her tongue out at her assistant but restrained herself, turning to watch the two genin nudge each other out of the way to sign their new names on the marriage scroll.

Then, surprisingly without incident or further prompting, both boys leaned in and softly, briefly put their lips together.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow as the kiss ended quickly and both boys looked away, blushing and already intent on forgetting the other's existence.

"Well that's that," Kakashi said, unfolding his arms. "The food's at Naruto's apartment, if I remember correctly."

"Yep!" Naruto said, enthusiasm back at maximum levels. "Ramen! Plus, we can be as loud as we want 'cause it doesn't matter if the neighbours complain."

"Why?" Iruka asked, appearing puzzled.

"Well, for one, the old lady'll be there..." Tsunade looked at him balefully. "...And for another, the bastard's getting a house or something and I have to live with him afterwards."

Sasuke itched at the slipshod explanation and supplied: "I become the proprietor of the Uchiha Estate when I come of age or get married. So we'll move back there."

Jiraiya opened the door to the hall and was greeted with a sight he usually found only in his dreams. His mouth opened and his eyes popped...

The hallway was literally _packed_ with girls dressed in their most revealing or flattering outfits. It was like the most perfect heaven Jiraiya could envision...then he realised that they were all far too young for him. All of them.

They all focused on him intently as he scanned the room. The Frog Hermit then closed his mouth and looked up at the ceiling tearfully as he admitted to himself that these girls were not, in fact, here for him.

He looked at them one more time before slowly backing back into the Hokage's office, closing the door.

"Hokage-sama," he said, turning to face Tsunade with a serious look on his face.

The stoic tone startled her.

"Two things..." he continued, holding up the appropriate amount of fingers. "One, there is an actual army of young ladies outside your office..."

"What?" Kakashi asked as he approached the door.

He opened it and gazed over the eager girls casually. He nodded, coming to his conclusion, and then closed the door on the fangirls littering the hall outside.

"Sasuke, you may want to exit a different way," was all he said before the masked jounin vanished.

Naruto smacked his forehead and his hand came away with some of the red face paint on it. He went to wipe it on the yukata but then stopped sheepishly when he caught sight of Iruka watching him.

Tsunade groaned. "It'll resolve itself...what was the second thing you wanted to say?" She asked Jiraiya.

"Well, I think, in the best interests of the village...we should get married too."

His face betrayed no sense of a joke, and so Tsunade hit him.

* * *

True to his word, Naruto's little apartment was nearly vibrating with all the noise. An old man in glasses was perched silently near the window. He settled into a comfortable position and put himself under an invisibility jutsu for good measure. Though it was true Naruto lived on the second to highest floor, carelessness was blatantly unforgivable. He scanned the group of people crowded inside, picking out the designated pairs.

Suddenly, the Hokage came into his view. She was pulling Naruto aside, apparently to tell him something very un-partyish. Tsunade leaned down and said what she needed to say; she appeared apologetic, the spy noted. The good spirits of the party slowly drained from Naruto's countenance but then he nodded and smiled, effortlessly brushing off whatever was said. The spy pushed up his glasses and refrained from snorting as the boy was apparently _reassuring_ the _Hokage_. She eventually smiled and ruffled his hair and he scowled at her good-naturedly.

She wound her way back into the little crowd towards the gaggle of adults, moving around TenTen, who was trying to get the Hyuuga cousins to dance. Hinata was smiling but she kept refusing until Kiba came along and managed to get her to move by taking her hands in his.

The spy caught sight of an extremely late guest approaching the building below him. He pulled himself onto the apartment roof and made his way over to the small ledge above the hallway outside of Naruto's front door. He heard the doorbell ring and the door open.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice called out happily. "...Sakura-chan? What's wrong?"

"Naruto..." She broke off miserably.

Naruto moved away from the door and she leaned against the railing underneath the spy's position. Naruto came to stand next to her.

Inside, Sasuke saw Naruto leave quietly and curiously went to follow him. He was about to push open the door, which hadn't been fully closed, when Naruto's voice carried towards him.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to worry about him?" He was saying in a cheerful tease, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"I told him we'd be happy," Sakura said quietly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, really hoping the pink-haired girl wasn't trying to go through Naruto to win him.

"Happy? Him? Bahaha, Sakura-chan, you really don't know Sasuke at all!" He laughed loudly, half-hoping to make his team mate angry enough to distract her from being sad.

When she didn't say anything, he forged on. "Eh...he probably doesn't know the meaning of the word. Sasuke's not looking for fun or happiness, Sakura-chan. I mean...killing his brother won't even make him happy. Not really."

Sakura frowned and, unseen, Sasuke did the same.

"Nothing else will though," she said. "Revenge seems like the only thing."

"Nah," Naruto said brashly. "I used to think about revenge a lot as a kid. But even if it does make you happy, it never lasts for long."

Sasuke listened, surprised, as Naruto effortlessly and unknowingly described exactly what Sasuke himself had concluded about revenge. The Uchiha heir was not stupid. He _knew_ revenge was not going to make him a happy person--Naruto had hit the nail on the head. Would his dead parents be pleased if he killed their son? If he murdered Itachi, would life be simple and good again? No. Of course not.

But that wasn't the point.

"You gonna stay? Iruka-sensei got me ramen!" He heard Naruto say.

As Sakura quietly declined the offer, Sasuke retreated from the door, wondering just how far he'd accidentally let Naruto in.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

What is it with Sasuke and Naruto having babies? It's a fun notion but it just doesn't seem plausible to me. They're ninja--when exactly would they have time for kids? Not only that, they're _12-year-old_ ninja. How many 12-year-olds would you trust to raise children? Besides, I can't really see Sasuke or Naruto wanting to be bogged down with kids at this point. Honestly, they've got better, more interesting things to do. And babies are a pain to write...so there. :P

And before anyone asks, Iruka and Anko are 24. I checked the stats. (Kakashi's 25)

Naruto and Sasuke's wedding outfits are based off a poster I have. You can find it that that's said, A LARGE AND ICING-COVERED THANK YOU to **HK-452**, **hearmei**, **Midnight Shining Star**, **Stalker-san**, **Social** **disorder**, **Shinigami**, **Jess Anime**, and **Table-chan**.

**RavenMistress** – To answer your question, I actually hadn't thought about Naruto losing his last name when he became Hokage. But thanks to you, I added that little bit in here. I love when people point out things like this, makes it easier for me to make the story better. Thanks oodles!

**FISHTaNK the Evil Fangirl** – Another good question. I'll hopefully have cleared that up in this chapter too. Thanks so much!

**Alley-Oop** – Deal.

**Peter Kim** and **dana**- Questions, questions questions...plums, just keep reading. ;)

**Laie****Himura** **de** **Fanel** – Of course it was meant as a compliment! ;)

**derawr** – Thanks so much! Honestly, telling me my fic is believable is one of my favourite compliments. Also, I'll probably rework the last chapter at some point. And don't worry, there will be the time skip to get Sasuke and Naruto to the hormone stage. Cause as much as I love believable, I also love smex. :P


	6. Track 6

**Sealed  
VI**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 6

Naruto yawned widely and watched Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. Sakura and Temari were casually hanging over the bridge's railing, soaking in the morning sun. The pink-haired kunoichi wondered if she should apologize to her dark-eyed crush for making a scene.

_Screw that!_ part of her mind screamed. She had meant every word and she wasn't going to take them back now.

Besides, Sasuke would probably just get even more pissed off if she tried to say sorry. Sakura sighed and Temari looked curiously at her with one eye before lazily closing it.

Sakura blinked in the sunshine and then noticed something that made her not just a little jealous. She squinted to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light. Naruto had his arms folded behind his head as he attempted to fall back asleep while standing. On his left arm, the spiral insignia was in its usual place and now on the arm opposite was the Uchiha fan.

Sakura looked away, not really wanting to stare at more proof that Sasuke was slipping further and further out of the realm of possibility. But turning her gaze to Sasuke only made her feel worse as the left sleeve of his dark shirt now bore a red Uzumaki spiral. He didn't have the dangling addition that Naruto's had but it was there, sharp and simple.

While casually analyzing Naruto's grumpy demeanour, Sakura daydreamed about starting an affair with Sasuke. Just as she was imagining sneaking away from Temari at a fancy ball to illicitly meet Sasuke on a balcony, her mind clicked like a calculator finished with an equation; Naruto was grouchier than usual because he was probably wondering exactly how to treat the person he considered his life-long rival and best friend.

Sakura's daydream floated away like smoke as she dissected her male team mates' actions. Despite having been frickin' _wed_ yesterday, they were both pretending that nothing had changed between them. But, Sakura thought, the very fact that they were pretending everything was normal was proof that something wasn't. Their relation to one another had changed and they were involuntarily changing with it.

Unsure how to act, Sasuke merely avoided this by treating the marriage as a type of business partnership and Naruto just retreated to being immatu--

"OW!" Sakura hollered a hand flying up to cover her forehead, which Temari had just flicked.

"Stop thinking about it so much, forehead girl," Temari said, refolding her arms.

Kakashi approached the bridge at a snail's pace. The four watched him amble up the street languidly, his nose hidden in his book. He occasionally stopped to glance into a shop window and every time he did, Temari's scowl got a little deeper, Sakura squeezed the railing a little harder, Sasuke's fingers drummed a little faster, and Naruto got a little closer to falling completely asleep.

The masked jounin absently wondered how much murderous intent he could build up in his students before the bridge caught fire. By the time he got there, Sasuke seemed to have figured out that their sensei was doing it just to get a rise out of them and so appeared determined not to appear as agitated as he really was.

Kakashi bonked Naruto on the head with Icha Icha Paradise and (ignoring Naruto's grumbles) explained that, "Parts of the village are still in need of repair and the Godaime stated that couples are supposed to work together to bond. So, Sakura, Temari, you will be lending a hand to the reconstruction of the entrance gate and Sasuke, Naruto, on the far side of town Tsubaki-san needs help rebuilding part of her house."

"Fine! Easy!" Naruto crowed.

Sasuke scoffed. "Considering your history with D-rank missions? Not likely."

"What was that?" Naruto snapped.

Kakashi, once again using his reading material as a prop, waved it between the two boys, as though trying to physically dissipate the impending brawl.

"Sasuke, I need to talk to you." Kakashi tilted his head and lead Sasuke away from the other three.

Temari waited with her hands on her hips for Sakura to adjust something in her shoe. Then they both bid goodbye to Naruto, who was too busy scrutinizing Kakashi and Sasuke do much besides half-heartedly wave.

A paranoid part of Naruto wondered if they were discussing the fox. His fingers curled around his navel as he considered the implications of Sasuke's new knowledge about him. So far, Sasuke hadn't seemed surprised or disgusted. He had treated him as he always had. But...would he still see Naruto as a worthy opponent?

* * *

"LEE! FORGIVENESS AND STRENGTH OF THE HEART ARE THE ESSENCE OF YOUTH!"

"YES, GAI-SENSEI!"

And so Lee headed off to meet Gaara at their worksite with his head held high and a broad smile on his face.

"Gaara!" He exclaimed happily, hand waving jovially as he approached the stoic redhead. "I vow from now on to fully accept you as my life partner and possible lover!"

The spandex-clad boy struck the nice-guy pose and jammed his thumb out. His teeth caught the morning rays and sparkled.

Gaara stared at the thumb that was approximately an inch and a half from his nose.

"...okay," he said, coming to the conclusion that outbursts like this were probably going to happen a lot. He should really start getting used to them now.

A hammer appeared in Lee's hand and he held it out. No sooner had Gaara taken it then a pile of wooden planks appeared in the taller boy's arms.

Lee ambled over to where one or two others were patching up the remains of a shop's demolished front wall. Gaara scooped down, picked up a bucket of shiny nails and followed, gripping the hammer.

"I'll hold the beam and you nail it in place, okay?" Lee said, enthusiasm bubbling out.

He placed the pile of wooden boards at the foot of the wall before picking one up and putting it in its designated place with a flourish. Gaara looked at his cheerful fiancé and then ran his eyes up and down the board, wondering if the right place to nail would start glowing to make itself known. When it became painfully obvious that that wasn't happening, Gaara gave Lee a questioning look.

Though loud and outspoken, being on the same team as Hyuuga Neji meant Lee did have some experience in deciphering quiet people.

"You've never nailed anything before in your life, have you?" Lee asked, a little cheekily.

Gaara suppressed any embarrassment. It wasn't his fault he'd never had to do this kind of work before.

"I was the youngest child of the Kazekage," Gaara supplied. "Monster or not, if I didn't want to hold my toothbrush while I brushed, someone would do it for me."

"Did that ever happen?"

"No. But it was a distinct possibility."

"Ah." Lee paused and contemplated their situation. He looked at the board and then looked at Gaara. "Got it! You can hold the nails in place while I hammer, 'cause if I accidentally miss, your sand will protect you from injury."

This plan being not only acceptable but logical, Gaara nodded. "Agreed."

As the two switched places, Lee was starting to note that Gaara really wasn't quite the soulless opponent that had battled him before. Lee shook his head in amazement. _Naruto-kun, you really are something_, he thought.

* * *

"Move," Temari said brusquely, nudging Sakura with her shoulder.

Sakura glared as she swung back and forth. Both were hanging high on the entrance gate from ropes tied around their waists. Each girl had a bucket of sea green paint in hand and was sweeping a large brush across the newly reconstructed entrance doors.

"I'm not finished," Sakura snapped, jerkily indicating the part of the door she was still working on. Some green paint stickily drizzled from their prone brushes.

"So, hurry up."

"UGH!"

Sakura swallowed down her violent inner voice and continued painting. She ignored how the ropes were chafing her hands and tried to figure out what she'd done to annoy her fiancée in the last few days. The Sand kunoichi had been a little, well, bitchier than usual.

An irritated sigh came from her left.

_This is ridiculous_, Sakura thought. _She's not the type to tell me what's wrong right off the bat...so start small. Like conversation. What do we have in common?_

Well, they were both girls...there were some topics that were simply universal.

"So...Sasuke looked _really_ good in his wedding outfit."

"I thought you didn't go," Temari said.

"I saw pictures...and you went," Sakura offered.

Temari realised Sakura was actually making an effort. The younger girl steadily went about her painting as she waited for a reply. Temari shook her head.

"Yeah, he looked pretty damn hot. You should've gone just for that."

Sakura laughed. "I think I'll get some of those pictures of him framed."

"We can put it above our bed," Temari sniggered.

"Naruto didn't look too bad either...except for the stupid face paint. Oh, that reminds me... why isn't your other brother here?" Sakura asked curiously. She wasn't about to admit that she was rather glad he wasn't. She could get used to Temari and she could hopefully fly under Gaara's radar, but she could never see Kankurou as anything but a bully, brother-in-law or not.

"Kankurou already has a Sand bride-to-be," Temari supplied as they released their ropes some, moving to an unpainted part of the door. "He's expected to take Father's place as Kazekage, so right now they're training hi--"

The sound of a house partly collapsing nearby cut her off.

Sakura squinted and saw Hinata standing in front of the wreckage with her hands in front of her, probably in the Byakugen seal.

Hinata watched as Kiba and Akamaru approached her from amidst the rubble and then turned her gaze to the section of the house still standing.

"One second, Kiba-kun," she said as her white eyes scanned the walls and beams, calculating the points where Kiba could do the most damage without getting hurt.

"Th-there, I think," she said, indicating the upper part of the main wall. "You should be able to go straight through it to get out. And it should take down the r-rest of the house."

"Alright! Stay here for this one, Akamaru!" Kiba called as he went towards the wall at a run.

At first, they had been surprised; neither Hinata nor Kiba thought she'd ever be assigned a task in destruction. Kiba's large attacks were perfect for it but the Godaime seemed to know what she was talking about; Hinata's sight was turning out to be an unexpected asset.

He glanced back at her before focusing his full attention on his task. She had activated the Byakugen again and was tracking him intently. Akamaru was at her side.

He whimpered slightly and pawed at her leg. She looked down at him and then nervously scrutinized the house once more. Her eyes zeroed in on the roof.

"Oh no..." She whispered, frightened, and then raced the short distance to the house, little white dog on her heels.

"Gatsuuga!"

"NO!" She screamed, but he didn't hear her.

Kiba's whirling jutsu blasted through the wall and the structure shuddered before crumbling haphazardly. Kiba's movements stuttered to a stop as he slowed his spin. He regained his grounding just in time to notice that a wooden beam had slid off the collapsing roof and was plummeting towards him.

His eyes widened and he took a juddering step back before a small and surprisingly strong body ploughed into him. They landed hard in a tangled heap in the grass and a second later, the beam slammed into the ground with an ominous crunch barely more than a foot away.

"Whoo...that was close!" Kiba called loudly. "Hinata? You okay?"

"Y-yes," the Hyuuga girl said, shaking slightly.

Akamaru yipped happily. Suddenly realising she was on top of Kiba, Hinata blushed horribly and sat up off him. Kiba stroked Akamaru's head.

"You saved my life," he said to her with a grin. But she shook her head.

"I m-made a mistake. I nearly killed you," she said, hanging her head a little. "Akamaru saved you."

"Nah!" Kiba said loudly. "You got those eyes of yours. Oh, hey! What's your rotten cousin doing?"

"He's not so bad anymore," Hinata said in a small voice, though a smile was creeping onto her face. "He and TenTen are, um, building something. Her aim is really helpful."

"I bet," Kiba said, climbing to his feet. He tucked Akamaru into his coat and then extended his hand to the girl sitting demurely on the ground, looking like she thought she belonged there.

As she took it and he pulled her to her feet, a voice hollered, "Oi! Kiba!"

They both looked over to find Chouji waving from across the street. Next to him was his fiancée from the Hidden Village of Mist.

"What's her name, again?" Kiba mumbled as he waved.

"Kari?" Hinata muttered back.

"Want to get barbeque with me and Koori?" Chouji yelled.

"Oops," Hinata said.

"Can't!" Kiba called out. "Hinata and I have to spend the afternoon getting ready."

Chouji nodded. "Right. I'll see you tonight then!"

Chouji had taken pains to assure his future bride that she would never have to cook if she didn't want to. She had giggled and asked what they would do for food. Chouji then decided that she promptly needed to experience the joys of barbeque. So that's where they were headed.

"Tell me about your team mates, Chouji! Are they marrying who they want?" She said enthusiastically, tucking on a lock of hair back into her forehead protector, which she wore at an angle like a headband. Judging by Koori's outfit, which flattered her curvaceous body, Chouji guessed (and was slowly learning he was right) that she was more into fashion and gossip than ninja techniques.

"Mmm...well, Shikamaru didn't want to marry anyone really. And Ino wanted Sasuke like every other girl. They work alright together though, Shikamaru and Ino. I think they were fixing cracks on Third's face today. Ah, I see them," he said as they approached the barbeque place.

"Well, _I_ don't think that Sasuke guy's all that good looking," Koori said, toying with her hair again. "He's so...small," she continued, hands coming down to rest on her hips defiantly.

* * *

On a tiny vegetable farm a little outside the bustling centre of the village, Sasuke sneezed.

Tsubaki, being fairly independent, was nearly finished reconstructing her three-room cottage. All that had been left for Sasuke and Naruto to do was complete and reinforce the roof.

Before embarking on a shopping trip, Tsubaki had told the boys that she had used a combination of wooden slats and common tiles in making the roof, so would they please continue in that manner?

Bored, Sasuke carried a stack of tiles across the rooftop and, feeling the need to outdo his team mate/husband/rival, Naruto decided to carry two. Of course, in his haste, he had nearly dropped them, and Sasuke had had to move quickly to save the breakable tiles from sliding off the roof.

Their project was taking longer than Sasuke had expected it to. The tension lacing their cooperation only served to slow time down to a tedious crawl.

"Dobe, use kagebunshin," he finally called, his voice more like a command than a suggestion. Not that that was anything new.

Blue eyes narrowed. "Don't act like you're in charge. Wait, why?"

Sasuke's cool gaze was pissing Naruto off.

"It's a good idea," the dark-haired boy said, exasperated. "Look at where the sun is; we won't be finished by sunset, which means we'll have to return tomorrow. So use kagebunshin."

Naruto knew Sasuke was right. And he didn't want to have to come all the way out here tomorrow, but that didn't mean he was going to listen.

"Why don't _you_ use it?" Naruto said, his attitude defiant. In the back of his mind, he chuckled, wondering if he could get Sasuke to say that he was stronger.

Sasuke saw through the question and glared. "Cause some of us don't have back-up chakra to thoughtlessly fuel clones, idiot."

Naruto blinked in surprise. Though he had guessed it would happen someday, he hadn't expected Sasuke to bring up the existence of the fox quite yet.

"What?!" Naruto exploded, throwing a punch, which Sasuke deflected.

"That it?" The dark-haired boy sneered.

Naruto could almost feel Sasuke's pale fingers pushing his buttons but he didn't care.

"What should I be using as 'back-up' then, you bastard? Hatred?" Naruto snarled, throwing several more punches, all of which Sasuke dodged. But at this remark, Sasuke's glare darkened and he threw a punch of his own.

"Hah," Naruto continued, blocking it. "Like hatred even works."

"Oh, and I suppose _protecting people_ does?"

Naruto scowled, his temper flaring. "Yeah, it does, asshole."

He threw a volley of rapid fire punches, which Sasuke guarded against expertly until one got through and hit him square in the chest. The dark-haired boy flew backwards and landed hard on the roof.

Naruto smirked, pushing thought and wedding ceremonies and anything else out of his mind. He refused to think that Sasuke would hate him because of Kyuubi like the rest of the village. He wasn't sure how to prove that he, and not the fox, was stronger than Sasuke, but right now wasn't the time to think about that. So his fists would have to suffice. 

When Sasuke looked up, his eyes were red. Naruto barely had time to brace himself before Sasuke shot across the roof and tackled the blonde full on. Naruto felt his shoulder bruise as he hit the roof tiles with Sasuke on top of him.

"Right. It's working _so _well right now," Sasuke mocked, his hand around Naruto's neck. He drew back the other in a fist.

Naruto's hands flew and gripped Sasuke's wrist so as to pry the pressure away from his throat enough to gasp out,

"Well, hatred didn't work so well against your brother last ti--"

He was cut off by Sasuke's fist crashing into his face, which Naruto knew would be harder than necessary as soon as he'd said the word 'brother'.

But...Sasuke wouldn't accept that he wasn't strong without the fox on a physical level, so then maybe if Naruto could hurt him back on the emotional level, like Sasuke's denial was doing to him...maybe he'd find a playing ground that, though ugly and harsh, was at least equal.

Naruto wasn't sure he liked that idea but he wasn't sure what else he had either. Sasuke probably wasn't too happy with it himself, Naruto thought wryly.

Sasuke sent another punch plummeting towards Naruto's face but the blond had sense enough to block this time. He then latched onto Sasuke's wrists and held them fast with a grip infused with chakra. Sasuke grunted and tried to pull away while his red eyes watched for Naruto's next attack. But it didn't come, Naruto just used brute strength to hold him in place.

And it was making Sasuke furious. He thrashed, doing his best to knee Naruto somewhere it would hurt tomorrow. But the awkward position limited his movement considerably.

Sasuke grit his teeth in vicious frustration, debating whether headbutting the blonde to get him to let go would be worth the dizzying headache bound to come as a backlash from such an attack.

"Naruto, let go!" He eventually snarled, sounding more desperate than he'd intended.

"Being powerless, even a little bit, is the worst thing ever for you, huh?" Naruto said, sounding curious, sincere, horribly accurate, and slightly strained; it was taking nearly all his energy to keep his grip on the other boy.

Sasuke stared Naruto straight in the eye and pressed his lips into a tight line. Naruto met his harsh gaze with a look of honesty and pure curiosity, and Sasuke realised that all the antagonism from earlier was almost completely gone from the blue-eyed boy.

Yes, being powerless scared Sasuke. No, more than that, it disgusted him. He _needed_ power. Gaining it and using it was his only goal in life, and falling short of that, in any way, made Sasuke blatantly unable to stand himself. He'd choose death over remaining weak, and he was horribly sure that that was written all over his face right now.

Sasuke's mouth opened as he breathed heavily from exertion, and then he leant down and fitted it against Naruto's. Shocked, Naruto's eyes widened and his grip faltered. Sasuke wrenched his hands free and then a moment later, hurriedly pulled his mouth away with a soft, wet sound that would replay in Naruto's mind for the rest of the evening.

Sasuke pushed himself off the blonde and tore away, running across the roof and leaping over the edge, leaving Naruto staring at the sky, surrounded by unlaid tiles, and resting the back of his hand against his lips.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Sorry for the delay! I was in Ireland for the week with little to no trickle of Internet. But I did get a lot of writing done. So the next update will be quicker.

I haven't gotten such encouraging reviews as these. Thanks to **lynex7**, **Ryou-la-lune**, **Social** **disorder**, **x.rogue-angel.x**, **NaRuKo77**, **m**, **greatstars**, **Midnight** **Shining** **Star**, **ShadowSpirit2**, **Jess** **Anime**, **Alley-Oop**, **nabaris**, **CityHamster**, and **HK-452**.

**Peter Kim** – They'll have sex when they're old enough to have sex, don't worry.

**sasuxnarucutem** – To be honest, I have no idea who's uke/seme yet. By the time they're 15 (which'll be about three chapters), I'll probably have some clue. ;)

**YueYoukaiEclipse** – Don't worry, Kyuubi has a bigger part in this story a little later on.

**Gold Silk** – Heh. You gave me a prophecy I was planning on fulfilling anyway. ;) Ah, great minds think alike. Thanks so much for the review!

**Stalker-san** – Woot! Someone who agrees with me! But you're right, bringing up children at the end is a good idea. I'll probably do that. ;)

**Krista** – Thank you for the whipping. Always good for motivation. ;) I'm reluctant to do a sole Gaara/Lee chapter right now for two reasons, the first being they're both difficult characters to pin down as it's easy to fit them into stereotypes. The second is that I'm not sure focusing on them would move the plot along at this time. If I can fit it in, I'll do an interlude on them cause it does sound like fun. But it won't be right now I'm afraid. Thanks again!

And a double thanks to all who reviewed the 'Out of It' sequel, 'Landing' recently!


	7. Track 7

**Sealed  
VII**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 7

Kiba couldn't get enough of the fact that both his mother and his sister were in formalwear. He kept glancing at them and snickering to himself. He'd almost never seen his mother out of her jounin uniform and when Hana wasn't in her simple combat outfit, she draped herself in sweaters about the size of circus tents. But now they looked like, dare he say it, _ladies_.

Lights and ribbons had been strung around the large stone patio in front of the main Inuzuka mansion. People were milling around, chatting and eating and drinking. Akamaru, Hana's three ubiquitous dogs, and several dogs Naruto didn't recognize were playfully tussling in the grassy yard.

Naruto grinned and waved goodbye to Kiba and the new Inuzuka Hinata. Both of them waved back, their smiles a little less sincere than they would've liked to be able to give the blonde. Hinata's mind was on what she could never have. Kiba's mind was on Hinata.

_Hana-nee-chan looked pretty in her bridesmaid outfit_, Naruto thought as he undid the cord from the watered down version of his wedding yukata, which he had been using as formal attire for all the other weddings. _Kiba got groomed up nicely too. But Hinata-chan was definitely the prettiest._

Rather than the traditional white clothing, Hinata had worn a rather colourful kimono. It was river green trimmed in a variety of blues and an exquisite pattern of silver fish swam up her thigh. As an accessory, she had carried a sunshine yellow and gold parasol above her head. With her hair pinned up and the Inuzuka marks fresh on her pale cheeks, she had looked like a young empress.

The small sound of Sasuke breaking the kiss entered his head again. Naruto rubbed his ears as if trying to flick the noise away like a fly.

_Why. Why. WHY am I still thinking about this? The bastard just did it to make me let him go._

Naruto paused at the end of the Inuzukas' front walk.

_But he pulled his hands free and_ then _stopped kissing me_. Naruto scratched his head, confused and now dead set on resolving the entire situation as: _Sasuke is weird...and he left me to finish the whole roof by myself!_

"Naruto," a familiar voice called from behind him.

He turned to see Sakura jogging--rather awkwardly thanks to the simple peach pink kimono she was wearing--down the driveway after him.

"Sakura-chan!" He greeted happily when she got closer.

She tried to smile back but it didn't stay on her face. Naruto frowned, concerned.

_Did she try and seduce Sasuke again? Why do girls always go after the ones that'll make them cry? Especially the ones that'll make them cry _and_ are, if involuntarily, already taken._

Sakura debated whether or not to ask why Sasuke hadn't gone to the wedding, but didn't bother. No need to look a gift horse in the mouth; Sasuke's absence worked in her favour.

"I have something I need to tell you. We'll make it a date. So walk with me for a bit."

"A date? Wouldn't that be a bit scandalous?" He said, grinning obnoxiously.

"As friends then," she said, her serious tone flattening any future humour Naruto was going to send her way.

* * *

Finally out of the restricting kimono, Haekoe Inuzuka stretched until her back cracked and then she flopped tiredly into a kitchen chair. She crossed her arms over the cotton tank that matched the colour of the markings on her cheeks and eyed her son and new daughter-in-law, who were sitting across the table from her, looking equally as worn out.

Hinata had unpinned her hair and was currently trying to stifle a yawn. Kiba slumped in his chair, daydreaming of his bed.

Just then, Hana came in from the kitchen with a fresh pot of tea in one hand and a small stack of tea cups balanced in the other. She had changed back into her usual large beige sweater and like Hinata, had returned her hair to a casual style. She set the teacups down with a clink and filled one before handing it to her young sister-in-law, who thanked her politely.

After everyone was sipping, Hana sat down with some relief.

"Glad I'm not going through all this," she said.

"You will someday," Haekoe said before blowing on the liquid in her cup.

Hinata looked between the two.

"You don't have to get married, Hana-nee-chan? I thought you fell into the age bracket," Hinata asked.

"I do but I have a mission that'll keep me away from the village until autumn, so the Hokage exempted me." Hana's grin let Hinata know that she wasn't at all upset by this.

"Autumn?" Hinata whispered, disappointed. Over the last few weeks of turbulent wedding preparations, Hana had been a large source of comfort for her. She would feel the older girl's absence greatly.

"Today was nice though," Hana added, after a pause.

"Mmm." Haekoe nodded. "Hiashi could have stayed a while longer. The party might have gotten rid of some of the old man's stiffness," she tacked on.

Hinata's eyes dropped to the table, feeling unreasonably guilty for her father's standoffish behaviour. She wanted to tell her new family that he would have thought she had married down no matter who her husband was.

She had anticipated how he would treat her throughout the entire wedding process. The words 'Good riddance' were never uttered but they seemed to be written in his eyes. Like when he told Haekoe how he was glad his daughter would be entering a clan that could take care of her. She sighed.

_At least he came to the wedding_, she thought gloomily. He didn't stay for the reception, but Hanabi, Neji, and a fair few of her other family members--from both houses--did, which cheered her some.

Haekoe watched as Hinata's spirits drooped like flower petals.

"Hey...buck up, kiddo," she said. "Man like that's not worth going out of your way to please."

Hinata looked up and smiled sadly.

"No Inuzuka girl gets down over something like this. Hyuuga or not, we'll toughen you up," Haekoe continued, leaning back in her chair with a grin that showed off her fangs.

"Kaa-chan..." Kiba said.

Hinata's smile grew more genuine. "Yes, Haekoe-san."

"Aww...that's right. Now I'm outnumbered 3 to 1," Kiba whined.

His mother barked out a laugh and his sister grinned at him over her tea. He looked over at Hinata and she shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

Haekoe yawned suddenly. "Alright. I'm going to bed. You two know how this is going to work right?" She asked the newlyweds. "You two'll sleep in your own rooms until you're sixteen. And then I want grandchildren."

"Kaa-chan!" Kiba yelled as his face nearly turned darker than the Inuzuka markings.

Hinata's face wasn't much better.

"Oh, and tomorrow your mission is to fix the bridge over the stream at the far end of the fields. I'll put a request for a couple others to help you," Haekoe said as she pulled herself to her feet.

Kiba frowned. "We don't have a bridge over the stream."

"Then build one," his mother called without missing a beat as she left the room.

Kiba and Hinata also made to go upstairs, an embarrassed silence between them courtesy of thoughts of grandchildren. They made their way sleepily to the staircase and climbed to the hall where their bedrooms were located.

"Ino looked pretty this morning," Hinata finally piped up, resisting the urge to press her hands into her burning face. "When she was trying on her wedding dress, with her hair down like that."

"Heh, Shikamaru didn't look too happy. Besides, how many times do I have to tell you? You're way prettier than her."

"Yeah," Hana agreed, suddenly appearing behind them. "You'll have curves in a couple of years any girl would die for," she added before tossing out a 'good night' and climbing another staircase to get to the third floor, where she slept.

"Goodnight, Hinata-chan," Kiba said, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.

Hinata looked at him for a minute, the two of them still in their wedding clothes and standing in the hall outside their separate bedrooms, and then leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight, Kiba-kun," she said with a soft smile before retreating to her room.

Hinata bathed in her new surroundings, taking in her bedroom. It was about the size of her old one and had a large bed and a vanity table. She sat in front of the mirror and caught her reflection as she began undoing her obi. She was getting used to the marks on her cheeks, she noted. Even now, they were less of a surprise than they were at noon.

She looked her reflection in the eye, thinking of how different her life would be. Though both clans got along swimmingly, the Inuzukas were about as un-Hyuuga as she could get.

She remembered how Kiba had spent longer brushing Akamaru than he had brushing his hair this morning, Hana's encouraging smile as she nervously walked up the aisle with her sweaty hands gripping the parasol, and Haekoe's gruff show of affection towards her son...and Hinata thought that she could get happy here

* * *

Naruto flashed a beaming smile that nearly outdid the streetlights at old man Ichiraku as he set down the two orders of ramen. The boy leaned forward and inhaled the sumptuous fumes until his mouth watered. But even his stomach couldn't distract him when Sakura was sitting next to him, not even noticing her food and appearing as though someone had just eaten her pet kitten.

"Sakura-chan?" He prompted.

Her eyes snapped to his. "Sorry...I spaced out." The inviting scent of her meal wafted towards her and grabbed her attention. "Looks delicious. Let's eat!"

"Yep!" Naruto agreed, scooping up a massive mouthful with his chopsticks. "Tell me about Sasuke while we eat."

The oh-so-enticing mouthful was _nearly_ at his lips when he noticed that, if possible, Sakura appeared even more miserable, like someone had just regurgitated her dead pet kitten.

There was a long pause. Naruto lowered his chopsticks and told himself to stop making analogies as he wasn't very good at them. He then wondered how just mentioning Sasuke's name could send Sakura into fits of joy or the throes of depression depending on the day.

"Sasuke-kun..." She said slowly. "...told me not to tell you. It's all Orochimaru's fault. I mean, Kakashi-sensei said he'd be fine and I want to believe that, since you and Sasuke-kun were getting along." She took a deep breath. "Then this morning you were both sniping at each other again and...and when he fought Gaara, it...again...Then when he fought you he had that same look...that's why...I..."

Naruto's eyes were drilling holes into his innocent ramen.

"Orochimaru, huh? I met him," Naruto said grimly.

Sakura looked over quickly. "Where?"

"While searching for old lady Tsunade. He was up against Ero-Sennin and the old lady... He's very strong...and really dangerous."

"That seal..." Sakura started softly.

"Don't worry about it!" Naruto burst out, effectively shattering the solemn atmosphere. The mouthful of ramen he had been denied earlier was now in his gullet and quickly being followed by a string of others. He avoided Sakura's eyes for a few seconds as he ate.

If he could just convince Sakura, make sure she was happy and okay and away from the strange dark that was lurking inside him and Sasuke, then later he and Sasuke were free to rip into each other and not hurt her or anyone else. The image of her throwing herself between the Rasengan and the Chidori still terrified him.

He would not let that happen again. If it came down to it, he could deal with Sasuke himself. He knew this because Sasuke could deal with him. He had a lot of faith in his rival-come-husband. The memory of the unexpected kiss blinked into his mind and instead of dwelling on it, he re-entered the conversation he was having with Sakura.

"Seal or no seal, Sasuke wouldn't accept that bastard's invitation. He doesn't need to since he's really strong already."

He ate heartily and loudly, doing his best to prove that everything was normal and would be fine.

"I guarantee it!" He inserted between bites.

He needed her to believe him. He couldn't worry about both her _and_ Sasuke's entire mental/emotional states at the same time.

And finally, Sakura smiled.

"Yeah," she said softly, picking up her chopsticks.

* * *

Over an hour later, the two team mates stood outside Ichiraku's with full stomachs. They stared at the bugs zipping sluggishly around the streetlights in the late evening.

"Sure you don't want me to walk you home, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, rocking back and forth on his feet.

She smiled but shook her head. "I'm a ninja too, remember? I'll see you tomorrow. YOU BETTER BE THERE!"

"At your wedding?" Naruto called as he started to jog down the street. "Wouldn't miss it!"

"Eh..." Sakura injected suddenly, causing the blonde to stop. "Naruto, you live _that_ way now."

She pointed down the street that led through the now-quiet centre of town.

"Oh right, I keep forgetting," he said abashedly as his ramen-supplied energy changed gears and propelled him back in the other direction. "Bye Sakura-chan!"

She rolled her eyes and then waved.

_In fairness_, Naruto thought. _I did move in only this morning. I haven't even unpacked all my stuff yet._

He groaned, thinking about how he'd have to dig through everything to find his pyjamas. And then they'd have to clean the place at some point.

That morning, he had managed to put his entire apartment into boxes and he'd piled them into the front hall of the large main house in the deserted Uchiha sector. It was an awesome house but EVERYTHING was covered in dust.

_Come to think of it, Sasuke didn't look too happy about moving in either._

Naruto double checked that he was on the correct street, trying not to think of how on edge Sasuke had been while helping Naruto move the boxes.

Naruto rounded the corner and was nearly blinded by an impossibly bright glow. He stopped in his tracks and just gaped.

The Uchiha complex was on fire. Completely.

The blonde demon-vessel had never seen so much fire in one place. It was like getting a close up of the sun itself. Flames were greedily licking up the very walls of the compound. Every shop and smaller house was crumbling into hot, fiery embers that sizzled as they flew into the air. Windows were blackening in plumes of smoke too thick to see through. The lake was bubbling and boiling. The large main house was quickly being swallowed by a twisting white-hot inferno.

"MY STUFF! I LIVE THERE!" Naruto shrieked, inching closer to the blaze. But even from his position on the road, he could feel the intense scorching heat and knew there was no way he or anyone else was getting inside.

The firemen apparently agreed, as they seemed less concerned about going in to control the damage and more about making sure the fire simply didn't spread. Hoses were aimed at the outskirts of the danger zone in the hope of keeping the fire within a specific perimeter until it burned itself out.

A pyjama-clad neighbour was standing worriedly not too far away. He looked Naruto up and down, his eyes landing on the scarred cheeks illuminated by the vicious flames.

"_You_ live there?" He said, disgust clear in his voice.

"Yeah! Old Lady Tsunade married me to the bastard!" Naruto said, flustered and defensive, immediately recognizing the attitude of the man for what it was.

"_You_ married Uchiha Sasuke? Well! That explains why someone set the compound on fire."

Angry, Naruto turned to face the man fully. Then he noticed a familiar silhouette slumping against the wall in a nearby alley and promptly forgot the man's existence. He moved towards the figure, following a hunch. The neighbour, seeing Naruto outlined in the glow of the blaze with that intense expression on his face, hopped out of the way like a twitchy rabbit.

Just as Naruto reached the entrance to the rather narrow alley, several ANBU tore down the street behind him. A few seconds later, he heard what sounded like several powerful water jutsus being performed, usurping the scalding lake water.

"Sasuke! Your house! MY STUFF!" Naruto hollered as way of frantic greeting towards his dark-haired team mate, who was casually leaning against the side of the building with his arms folded.

"Aren't you going to ask me if I'm okay?" Sasuke said mockingly.

Naruto noticed that Sasuke's clothes were a tad singed and that he smelled like smoke, but he dismissively waved off the comment.

"Why wouldn't you be? Fire is your spec...ial…..ty..."

His blue eyes widened.

There was a small, amused smile on Sasuke's face as Naruto agitatedly looked back and forth between his friend and the Uchiha complex, which was still lit like a Christmas tree despite the ANBU's efforts.

"...! Wait! WAIT! HOLD ON!" Naruto yelled, flailing his arms.

Sasuke braced himself for a blow-out but suddenly Naruto stopped in mid-hysterics and put a hand against the wall next to him, his eyes concentrating on the ground and hidden. Three audible deep breaths were sucked in and then exhaled.

"Okay..." Naruto said, twitching slightly. "You set the place on fire...Worked out your issues, then, I take it?"

"I think so."

"Where are we supposed to live, you bastard?"

"I still own my apartment. It's big enough. And your stuff's already there."

"How many fire jutsus did it take?"

"Eight or nine."

And then Sasuke stepped forward, turned his back on the by-now-mostly-ash complex that once served as his childhood home, and led his husband (whose eyebrow was still twitching) the few blocks to his apartment.

* * *

_I guess Sasuke was a little more than 'on edge' this morning. Well, who would want to return to the house where your parents were murdered?_ Naruto thought glumly as the dark-haired boy unlocked the front door and moved inside, turning on the light without looking at it.

Sure enough, Naruto's boxes were neatly piled in the middle of the living room. Naruto eyed them balefully and then his relentless optimism raised its head.

He hadn't actually liked the massive and empty complex either. Having always lived in an apartment building that was down the street from the bustling centre of the village, Naruto had gotten used to noise. The compound had felt large and empty and lonely. Though it _had_ felt fun to live in such an obviously money-filled abode, Naruto thought cheekily.

Not that Sasuke's apartment wasn't one. Naruto's apartment had had a kitchen attached to a bedroom with a tiny bathroom tacked on the side. It hadn't been run down--everything worked fine except sometimes the hot water--but it was by no means prime real estate.

Sasuke's, on the other hand, had a kitchen attached to a plush living space (which was about the size of Naruto's entire apartment), a rather nice bathroom with an actual bathtub, and two other rooms--one acted as Sasuke's bedroom and the other he optimized as a mini library/study.

So, yeah, Naruto supposed he wouldn't be grieving too long over the new living arrangement. Despite the fact that Sasuke kept the apartment impeccably neat.

A pillow slammed into his face and knocked him clean off his feet. Just as he sat up, angrily rubbing where he'd landed on his back, mouth open to yell, a thick blanket covered him.

Naruto pulled it off and surprised Sasuke with a massive grin that he didn't trust for a minute.

"What?"

"I just realised I married uhhhhp. I get to be a rich asshole just like you!" The blonde said gleefully before hurling the pillow at the dark look Sasuke was giving him.

To his irritation, Sasuke caught it.

"Go to sleep, dobe," Sasuke said, tossing the pillow onto the large couch before disappearing into his bedroom.

Eying the pyramid of boxes towering over the couch, Naruto opted to forgo his sleeping cap for just this one night lest he topple the entire thing on top of him. He flicked off the light, stripped down to his boxers, lay on couch, got comfy with the blanket and pillow, and then stared at the ceiling.

For the next two and a half hours.

Naruto exhaustedly rolled over for the umpteenth time. He'd already gotten a glass of water, finished it, laid back down, gotten up half an hour later to pee, and laid down again. He _was_ tired, though. His eyes were itching.

He'd close them and try to count sheep but his mind kept buzzing. And before he'd realise it, his eyes would be open and staring a pensive hole into the white ceiling again.

His conversation with Sakura kept replaying in his head in chunks that rearranged themselves chronologically every time. And old man Ichiraku was probably the most informed person in the entire village. Everyone got ramen and everyone talked while they got ramen...like tonight when he'd recounted to Sakura the battle between the three sannin. When he became Hokage, he'd have to have an ANBU member keep an eye on the ramen stand, make sure the kind old man didn't become a target for other villages. Man, that battle had been a big one.

Naruto groaned quietly and put his hands to his head. He squeezed his eyes shut but barely three seconds ticked by before they were open again.

_He set his house on fire...isn't that what people do before they start life-changing quests?_

The couch squeaked exasperatedly as Naruto got up again. He padded softly over to Sasuke's bedroom door and opened it as quietly as he could.

The first thing Naruto noted was that the bastard had a pair of sliding glass doors that led to a fair-sized balcony. The second was that he also had a TV.

_Definitely married up. I should have married the bastard years ago._

Naruto found himself next to Sasuke's double bed, staring down at his team mate's pale, sleeping face.

Naruto chuckled. "Nice defences, bastard. I could completely take you out of the picture right now," he muttered under his breath.

"I seriously doubt that," Sasuke said, his voice resounding in the dark.

Naruto jumped about a foot in the air.

"S-sasuke! Don't do that!"

"You're in my room. Go away."

"Don't go to Orochimaru."

It took a few seconds for this to make its way into Sasuke's sleep-deprived brain.

"What?" He asked finally, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes.

"Don't go to Orochimaru," Naruto repeated, standing stiffly beside Sasuke's bed.

Sasuke groaned. "Are you going to tell me you love me and that every day will be fun if I stay?"

Naruto blew a raspberry at him. "You wish. I just figure--'cause I saw the sannin battle and know this stuff--I figure that all the sannin are really strong--even if Ero-Sennin _is_ a pervert--and it's better to live in a village with two sannin than a village with one, right?"

Sasuke scratched his neck and looked at his blonde team mate through sleep-clogged eyes. Naruto watched as Sasuke's fingernails dragged over the seal, which was stark against his bare skin in the dark of the room.

Sasuke noticed him staring and covered the seal with his palm nonchalantly, blocking it from Naruto's view.

"Even if it's there...you forced the seal away once," the blond blurted out suddenly.

Sasuke frowned, surprised. His hand came away from his neck and he decided as punishment for squealing, he'd throw Sakura into the river when they met Kakashi tomorrow.

"Yeah, yeah! During your first match at the Chuunin exam," Naruto said, like a child eagerly finishing a math problem he knew he had figured out. "I didn't know what it was then but yeah, that's what happened! I remember."

Sasuke looked away.

"Was that hatred too?" Naruto asked quietly.

Sasuke thought about the feeling of the seal smoothly crawling over his skin...he had forced it away after noticing his team mates' worried looks on the sidelines. But he'd die before he told Naruto that.

Itachi had said he needed hatred to be strong. Gaara too. But hadn't Gaara lost? Naruto had fought to protect others and had won in the end. Sasuke had little faith in his ability to carry out Naruto's method but he wasn't 100 percent on his own right now either.

He blearily glanced at the red numbers on the digital clock. He was not awake enough to decipher the basis of his fighting spirit right now.

"Go away," he said again, lazily lying back down and flinging an arm over his eyes.

"Teme..." Naruto growled, his fists clenching. "I'm not going anywhere. This conversation isn't over!"

After a few minutes of pretending to be asleep, Sasuke gave up and scooted sideways, his face still covered.

"You might as well lie down, dobe."

Naruto hmphed and retaliated by jumping onto the bed heavily, causing Sasuke to bounce. As he crawled under the covers, Sasuke peeked out from under his arm for a second to glare. Naruto scowled and folded his arms grumpily.

After a few minutes, Sasuke felt the murderous intent directed his way lessen slightly due to what had to be exhaustion. Naruto let out a large jaw-creaking yawn and felt sleep creep into him.

Sasuke allowed himself a small, unhappy sigh. He didn't like the indecision this was causing him.

"I...don't know what I'd do..." He whispered into room. "...if I got mad enough. I can't make promises. But for now, Konoha and the extra training with Kakashi, which was what we were talking about earlier...for now, it's enough."

Naruto was clinging to the last dregs of consciousness at this point. But if the words didn't make it past the earwax, the message did, and the blonde fell asleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

"Miss?"

Someone put a hand on her shoulder and Sakura bolted upright, wide awake.

"Miss? Are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" The old man in glasses asked in a concerned voice.

"What?" She asked as she looked up and down the little cobblestone road distractedly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it's not everyday you find a girl like yourself asleep on a bench like this. In Konoha at least. Some girls in some cities aren't so lucky, you know. This is certainly a nice place to live," he rambled as she checked her watch. "Though there are better roads to pass out on than the one that leads out of..."

"3 a.m.?" She whispered to herself, unbelieving.

"Miss? Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I've got to go though," she cried and raced off back into the village, cursing herself for being so stupid.

She briefly wondered why an old man would be on the road leading out of the village at three in the morning, but when she spared a glance over her shoulder, he was already gone.

She remembered checking her watch at 2:15...so she couldn't have been asleep for that long. Regardless, Sasuke could have left in that short interval.

Stupid. Stupid. Letting herself fall asleep at a time like this... Stupid!

She tore down the silent Konoha streets, breathing harshly, the sound of her footfalls crashing loudly against the sleeping buildings.

She remembered Naruto's optimism and wondered if she was working herself up over nothing. But...as much as she wanted to have faith in Sasuke and as much as she loved him even now, she was too smart for that. And like she had told Temari, it sucked.

She stopped with a choked gasp in front of what had been the Uchiha complex. She inhaled deep lungfuls of air and stared at the mountains and forests and caves of ash and the broken glass littering the wreckage.

_What...?_

There was a wrenching moment of hesitation, and then she took off at a sprint for Sasuke's apartment.

_Maybe...maybe..._ her blurry thoughts repeated as she approached her destination.

She managed to control her chakra long enough to tiredly walk up the wall of the building and climb over the railing of the balcony. Eyes drooping with exhaustion, she stared inside through the glass doors at the two boys on the bed and the adrenaline drained out of her in a rush.

Naruto was curled against Sasuke's shoulder, fast asleep, and Sakura groggily considered the possibility that Sasuke wouldn't be leaving the village tonight.

What had Naruto said, after all? _Sakura-chan, you really don't know Sasuke at all!_

And, like a girl in a dreamworld she didn't fully understand, Sakura found herself sleepwalking back down the building.

Eyes dry, she trudged back into the night, leaving her dreams and tears on the balcony. She crawled home to get some sleep so that when she got married tomorrow, she'd be ready to start feeling less hollow.

* * *

One thing he loved to do when on an espionage mission was play the good guy. What could he say? He had a taste for irony.

By dawn, Kabuto had entered the Hidden Village of Sound, his disguise ditched.

He entered the underground labyrinth serving as Orochimaru's lair and wound his way through the snake-like passages until he reached what the subordinates referred to as "the throne room."

Indeed, the vicious sannin was sitting rigidly in the large carved chair in the centre of the room.

"Back so soon?" Orochimaru asked, his voice a mocking hiss.

Kabuto didn't respond, neither defending himself nor rising to his master's bait. He stood calmly in front of the throne, glasses glinting in the candlelight.

"Report."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. Gaara-kun and Lee-kun appear to be willingly cooperating, their scruples from their history behind them. Little to exploit at this time. Sasuke-kun is unhappy about being tied to another person but his bond with Naruto-kun is becoming stronger despite their reluctance."

"Hmm...That may be problematic. Should Sasuke-kun grow too attached to his little husband, we may have to see about working Naruto-kun into a more desirable position. His fondness for Sasuke-kun could be put to our use. That's all Tsunade has done, after all, created guaranteed liabilities for her ninja," Orochimaru chuckled. "Do any other marriages have potential?"

"The Hyuuga girl seems to be unhappy but she was brought up in too prestigious a household to act any way other than proper. Her husband, the youngest Inuzuka, is hot-headed but it's obvious he has a great affection for her. Temari-san and Sakura-san are on congenial terms but their relationship is hardly beyond that of a casual friendship."

Orochimaru sat deep in thought for a minute.

"I will only need to make one move. Then we will step back for now. Time is a subtle weapon, Kabuto. It will bring me Sasuke-kun and more."

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Jeez...long night for all, ne?

Hoping for sex? Me too. Unfortunately, they're 12 and as sexy as underage boys feeling each other's undropped balls is...

:P

The time jump happens in about two or three chapters and then things'll heat up a bit more. I think I'm more impatient than anyone. ;)

Oh, and I'm not sure Kiba's mother's name was mentioned so I just made it Haekoe, which means 'bark'. I did the same thing with Chouji's fiancée, Koori. Cause she's from Hidden Mist and 'koori' means 'ice'. I figured it was easier than making up a name. Lazy me.

Thanks to **MilitantAngel23**, **Jess Anime**, **Ryou-la-lune**, **Midnight Shining Star**, **NaRuKo77**, **JadeRedemption**, **THE GOD OF INTERESTING**, and **jackee**.

**Alley-Oop** – You know, my friend's brother was on that show. I'll definitely go back and edit most of these chapters but I'll do that a bit later as I think I prefer writing new ones right now. ;) Thanks for the review!

**pAge-bReaTher** – Kyuubi'll have his time in the spotlight, you just wait. Thanks so much for the encouraging review:) Made my night, it did.

**Erisabesu** – I wish I could give Hana a bigger part in this but I wasn't sure who to pair her with. So I let her free, though it does mean not seeing her for a few chapters. Thanks so much for the critique! I'll definitely be thinking about your suggestions. :)


	8. Track 8

**Sealed  
VIII**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 8

"The entire district burned down?!" Sakura shrieked incredulously.

"You're kidding," Temari said, eyes wide. "That's no accident. That's blatant sabotage."

"Oh when I find the bastard who did this..." Sakura fumed, pounding a hand into the other.

Sasuke saw the laughter bubbling up inside and threatening to spill out of Naruto. He nonchalantly knocked the blonde sideways.

"What the hell?" Naruto hollered, righting himself.

Sasuke's glare spoke volumes. More volumes than usual. And Sakura figured Team 7 was as fixed at it had ever been.

Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, which was getting less impressive every day. Before he had even opened his mouth, Temari and Sakura were waving goodbye, claiming they needed the day to prepare and that they'd see them all that evening.

The three males watched speechless as the two waltzed off, giggling happily.

"I'm kinda happy I didn't have to marry a girl," Naruto said.

"Mm," Sasuke said by way of agreement.

"Well," Kakashi said with a cough. "I'll be training with Sasuke today. So Naruto you--"

"--can have the day off?"

"--can help Kiba with the Inuzuka bridge."

"Shoot."

* * *

"Sasuke wouldn't sleep with you, huh?" Temari said as soon as they were out of earshot of the bridge.

Sakura stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"Isn't that what you did last night? Get one last lay in before the shackles of marriage are set?"

"No. That's...that's not what I did at all."

"It's okay. I mean, you're a bit young I guess."

"Sasuke is Naruto's. He's Naruto's _husband_...Gah, there's Ino," Sakura said, spotting the blond girl across the street.

"Right, right," Temari said, shifting her fan slightly. As she wandered away she called out, "I'll see you tonight."

"Sakura!" Ino singsonged giddily as she approached. "I have a fabulous idea!"

The pink-haired girl watched her fiancée's back for a split second before being effectively distracted by girl talk. She linked arms with her best friend and they sauntered down the street towards the Yamanakas' shop.

"Okay, so I'm having a plum/lavender theme and I know we were thinking of doing cherry blossoms for you 'cause it'd be cute, but the petals fall off so easily, and then I thought 'why not just go original?' I think it'll really work for you! Your kimono's magenta, right?"

"Yeah. Uh...Original? Meaning what?" Sakura asked, marvelling at the amount of thought Ino put into this.

"White, duh! I think we should put your hair up with white roses instead. AND why don't we string pearls in too?"

Sakura grinned, the excitement buzzing in her veins. She was getting _married_. This was her big day and it was finally starting to feel like it, despite the fact that she wasn't marrying her dream guy.

The two girls gossiped while they admired and selected several of the lush white roses from the multitude basking happily in the sunshine out front of the flower shop.

Ino slyly admitted that she had already gotten Shikamaru to kiss her once or twice.

Sakura mentioned that Temari and she had a sort of silent agreement that since children weren't really expected of a female couple, they didn't need to do anything all that intimate.

"She's not too bad looking though," Ino said sideways.

"Ino!"

"Whaaaat?" The blonde asked innocently. "I'm just saying that if you have to play for the other team, at least you got paired with a hottie."

"Easy for you to say," Sakura grumbled. "You're marrying a guy."

"Nah, just Shikamaru. His parents and mine decided that we were too young to move into our own place but after the wedding we're expected to spend some time with each other every day. It probably won't be too bad. It's kinda like just being on the same team again."

* * *

"Ne, Kiba, don't you have cousins or something to do this?"

The Inuzuka boy heard Naruto's voice along with a watery shuffle from the blonde's position in the river.

Naruto and Lee were both holding up the half of the bridge that had been completed by standing in the stream, whose waters came above waist level. That is, Lee's waist. Naruto was nearly up to his armpits in meandering muddy water.

On the bank opposite them, Kiba and Hinata were quickly finishing assembling the other half of the bridge out of wooden logs. The stream wasn't very wide--no problem for a ninja to simply leap over. But his mom wanted a bridge and Kiba wasn't going to argue.

"Naruto-kun! Treat this as a special form of training!" Lee said, enthusiasm not tapered by the fact that he had had his arms over his head for over five minutes.

"Almost done, Naruto-kun!" Hinata called out, holding the last log in place as Kiba nailed it to the rest of the structure.

Kiba let the two large nails he was holding between his teeth drop into his hand.

"We're the village's special pursuit division," he called out to answer the soggy Naruto while he hammered. "My cousins're always off on long missions to other countries. It's only Nee-chan here now and even she'll be off soon."

"That's awesome!" Naruto yelled above the sounds of the water and the construction, his tiredness forgotten for the moment. "Do you ever go on missions like that?

"Well...once. But Akamaru 'n' I are still training," Kiba said, putting the hammer in the grass next to him and sparing a fond glance at the little white dog, who was snoozing in the shade of nearby tree next to their pile of coats.

"Alright!" Kiba called, hefting the half-bridge right way up.

With Hinata's help, he carried it to the water's edge. Kiba waded into the water and took much the same position as Naruto and Lee, holding the structure over his head. He made his way through the flowing water until he could fit the two sides of the bridge together.

Lee speedily moved out from under the bridge to retrieve the hammer and several nails from the grassy bank. Then he zipped back into the water and began to securely fasten the bellies of the two parts of the bridge from underneath.

"There had to have been a better way to do this..." Naruto muttered to himself.

When Lee was done he tossed the hammer to Hinata, who was standing on shore in her t-shirt, and then rejoined the other two in supporting the structure. Hinata, weighing the least and being the most dainty on her feet, had been elected to be the one to secure the bridge from the topside.

The three boys barely heard her footsteps as she quickly made her way to the centre of the unstable bridge.

"Aren't you supposed to be working with Sasuke?" Kiba grunted out, his feet shifting in the water.

"He has his sharingan training with Kakashi-sensei today," Naruto said, a little short of breath. His arms were killing him. He shot an envious look at Lee, who may as well have been relaxing with Akamaru.

"How's uh...being married to him?" Kiba said with a tame grin.

"Not too different."

Naruto thought of when he'd first learned of the engagement, how annoyed he'd been to be stuck with the bastard. It was one thing to have to be on the same ninja squad as him, but having to spend his _life_ with him? He had spent hours fuming about it.

But now, it was becoming everyday--like Hinata's facial markings, like the Uchiha fan on his shoulder, like Temari being around. Naruto was strongly reminded of how pissed off he'd been when he'd learned he was to be on Sasuke's team. But after all...he'd gotten over that quick enough.

"F-finished!" Hinata's voice called as she sped off the little bridge.

The three boys gingerly lowered their arms. When they were sure the bridge wasn't going to collapse on their heads, they allowed themselves to float out from under it and pull themselves onto the grass.

Naruto flopped down in a patch of warm noon sunshine, several drops of water flying onto Akamaru, who dragged a paw over his nose and woke up with a large yawn. Kiba sprawled out on the ground too, using the three coats as a pillow, a sigh of relief escaping him. Hinata sat down on his other side, trying to act like she had unconsciously sought her husband's side rather than Naruto's.

Lee however, stood above them, eying the completed bridge for a minute, before bidding them goodbye.

"The group from Suna is to arrive soon and I told Gaara I'd be there to greet them with him. So farewell my hardworking companions," the spandex-clad boy said before jogging along the dirt path through the yellow blossoms laden in the Inuzuka fields.

They all watched him go, so Hinata's expansive vision meant she was the first to notice the figure making its way out of the dense forest on the other side of the stream. She stood and the two boys followed suit once they realised someone was approaching.

"Yo," Sasuke called, making his way over the new bridge, his hands in his pockets nonchalantly.

Akamaru bared his teeth, a growl vibrating in his throat. Sasuke paused a few yards in front of the other three, a lightly disdainful look pointed at the dog.

Kiba frowned, tilted his nose up, and inhaled deeply. "You're right. He's smells...off."

"That's not Sasuke," Naruto stated firmly.

Hinata, Kiba, and 'Sasuke' all looked at him, puzzled.

"H-how can you be sure?" Hinata asked, her eyes glancing back and forth between the two.

"Hey! What happened to your Uzumaki spiral? Huh, _Sasuke_?" Naruto hollered.

The split second of confusion was all it took. The three genin and the nin-dog shifted into fighting stances.

The imitation had been perfect except for that one detail: the Uzumaki emblem missing from the left sleeve. 'Sasuke' appeared surprised at being found out so quickly, but then a vicious smirk spread over his face. And it wasn't the smirk Naruto knew.

"You've gotten better, Naruto-kun," a chillingly familiar voice drawled.

"Orochimaru..." Naruto seethed as a blast of grey smoke swallowed up the impostor.

It then cleared to reveal the snake sannin standing before them with a horrendous smile on his face. Hinata eyed the bandages encasing both his arms. Though they were a clear indication of a grotesque injury, they didn't make him any less frightening. She wished she was wearing her coat but didn't dare reach down to pick it up.

"You're not getting Sasuke, you bastard!" Naruto snarled, raising a kunai.

"Naruto-kun," Orochimaru mocked, taking a few steps forward. "You should know that's not how it works. The time isn't right for Sasuke-kun...But he will come to me, I guarantee it."

"Hah. What do you know?" Naruto crowed with more bravado than he felt.

The kunai hurled at the sannin's face was easily dodged. And then he shot forward like a snake lunging at prey.

A few quick hand seals transformed Akamaru into Kiba's beastly twin. The two stood side by side, their teeth and claws bared, ready for a fight. They stepped forward and a double gatsuuga spiralled in a helix towards Orochimaru's lithe form as he flew toward them, low to the ground.

The sannin snapped his fiendishly long tongue out of his mouth. It wrapped around the ankle of one of the half-beasts in mid-attack and effortlessly hurled it into its lookalike. The two were flung backwards onto the ground in a heap. Akamaru returned to his regular form with a pop and a yip of pain. Kiba sat up with a growl.

"Taijuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The riverbanks were suddenly very crowded and Orochimaru eyed the hundred blonde clones with mild amusement. They all attacked at once and the sannin opened his mouth wide to reveal the hissing snake lurking there. The snake in turn coughed up a glinting sword and Orochimaru spun, slicing and kicking clones until the air was filled with smoke from their dissipation.

Another drilling gatsuuga raced towards him and at the same time, a cry of "Rasengan!" came from behind. Orochimaru smirked around the sword sticking out of his mouth and swung his head around, slashing through Naruto's arm.

The rasengan spiralled out as it lost chakra, merely becoming a breeze, and Naruto grunted, clutching at the wound, which had begun to bleed a great deal. With a kick, Orochimaru sent the blonde to the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of him and make lights flash in front of his eyes. An equally vicious kick struck Kiba across the face and took him out of the fight.

Hinata gasped, hands flying to her mouth. Naruto unsteadily climbed to his feet, still cradling his badly slashed arm and glancing at Kiba's crumpled body. He raised the good arm and sprinted to meet Orochimaru head on as the older ninja raced towards Kiba.

Naruto barely managed to dodge the stab at his chest, instead landing another would-be-fatal wound to his side but managing to leave a nasty claw mark across the sannin's face. Naruto didn't have time to wonder at what point in the fight he'd started accessing Kyuubi's chakra.

Orochimaru hissed and then, without warning, zipped around the surprised Naruto and made a beeline for Hinata.

Her eyes widened in fear and she remained frozen until the last second, when her training kicked in. She quickly raised her arms with the intention of attacking the tenketsu but it was too late. Orochimaru deftly avoided her hands and swiftly sank his fangs into her neck.

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled.

He suddenly fell to his knees. The copious blood loss from the two major wounds was making the world tilt nauseatingly. He collapsed to the ground in a dizzy whirl and watched helplessly as Orochimaru pulled back. His heart constricted as Hinata started howling in pain.

A dark seal bubbled up to mar the pale skin above her t-shirt collar, and she clutched at it mindlessly, blinded by the pain sending daggers through her entire body. She couldn't think. She knew there was an enemy but she was in too much agony to care. Tears streamed out of her eyes. She opened her mouth and screamed again.

Orochimaru turned from her as she fell to the ground, writhing and crying. Kabuto moved out of the forest to meet him.

"Are we going to take her with us now?" He asked dispassionately.

"We have the time to wait. I feel this will only work if the girl comes to me of her own volition. And, like Sasuke-kun, she will without a doubt."

Kabuto nodded and as Orochimaru melted into the ground, he calmly ran through a series of seals and vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the prone bodies of three genin behind.

Akamaru was panting harshly from where he'd landed. He pulled himself up, wheezing, and loped towards the unmoving Kiba. He made it within a few feet of the boy before lying down with a whimper. Sniffing the air, Akamaru's tail gave a small wag when he found him to be alive.

Naruto too was struggling to move. Though he could feel the thick gashes in his side and arm already beginning to heal, he was still bleeding heavily. Nevertheless, he managed to crawl towards Hinata. Her sudden silence was frightening him and she was lying still and cold like a corpse, her white eyes unseeing.

He made it to her side, gasping air into his battered body. He hovered over Hinata's small frame and noted the deep bite mark oozing a steady trickle of blood. He pressed two bloody fingers to her neck and found her pulse jolting erratically. He eyed the thick black tomoe emblazoned in the centre of her chest, morosely thought of Sasuke's, and passed out in a heap next to the girl apparently mesmerized by the sky.

* * *

Naruto didn't have to open his eyes to know he was at the hospital. The smell alone was as distinct as you could get. Not to mention the constant dull hum of the fluorescent lights.

He burrowed into the hospital bed's white sheets, squeezing his eyes shut further. The curtain sectioning his bed off from the rest of the floor ruffled but he pretended to be asleep. He heard the person take a position standing against the window and felt eyes on him.

Sasuke folded his arms. He knew the blonde was awake. But he knew better than anyone what it felt like to not want to talk. He'd let Naruto have his silence.

Naruto peeked through the covers and met Sasuke's dark eyes. An immense feeling of guilt and powerlessness swept through him. He couldn't protect Hinata...If it had been Sasuke instead...If Orochimaru had wanted Sasuke, he could have just taken him. Naruto wouldn't have been able to do anything at all.

Naruto clenched his fists and wet his dry lips. He looked at Sasuke questioningly. "Hinata?" He asked in a croak.

Sasuke looked out the window stiffly.

"She's here. She's got Orochimaru's seal on her though."

Naruto sat up slowly, noting that Kyuubi hadn't fully healed his arm or his side yet and that his torso was liberally looped with bandages. He stared at Sasuke, who was staring moodily out the window at the darkening shapes of Konoha.

"You're jealous," Naruto concluded dully.

Sasuke's jaw tightened but he was freed from answering when Sakura appeared at the foot of Naruto's bed in a rush.

She was a vision in her beautiful deep magenta kimono. Her obi was a delicate pink and the kimono itself was embroidered with pale lavender flowers. Her hair was exquisitely pinned up with white roses and small strings of pearls. Her eyes were red from tears that, from the looks of it, were still coming.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto said, surprised.

She took a deep breath as she took in his bandaged state. Both boys waited for the hysterics.

"You...lied," she said at last, with a swipe at her damp cheeks to push away the sobs. In the back of her mind, she was thankful she hadn't already put on her make-up; she really would've looked a mess then. She put her hands on her hips and looked at the blonde defiantly.

"You said you'd definitely be coming to my wedding. And here you are, just lying in the hospital like you had no intention of going at all."

She tried to glare but her mock anger dissipated as a fresh wave of tears welled up in her eyes. She glanced at Sasuke and then covered her face with her hands.

"God, when I heard it was Orochimaru..." She broke off.

On the other side of the curtain, Kiba listened impassively and stared at the ceiling. His fists clenched above the blankets. What kind of husband was he that he couldn't even protect his wife? Not only that, he'd gotten knocked out before _Naruto_. Of all people, in front of Hinata...He scowled disgustedly at the ceiling, considering what Hinata must think of him, and what she must be going through now. Tsunade had said that seal was something like poison. If Hinata couldn't take it...if he lost her...

Kiba sucked in a few panicky breaths and hurriedly sat up. He climbed out of his bed, wincing at the bandages around his head and his middle, and loped tiredly to the door to his room.

"Kiba-kun...?" Sakura's worried voice followed him into the hallway but he ignored it.

He clutched at his painful ribs and put a hand on the wall to steady himself. He continued forwards, around a corner, and directly into the Shizune.

"Kiba-kun!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Where's Hinata?" He said, slightly short of breath.

Shizune hesitated.

"Please," he wheezed out, his teeth grit against his body's protests.

Shizune looked at him for a minute and then nodded.

"This way."

She put an arm around his shoulders and then encouraged him to hold onto her waist as means of support. Together they made it to a secluded room on the hospital's top floor. The dark-haired medic nin reached out and opened the door.

Kiba swallowed when he saw the various monitors hooked up to the single, lonely bed in the middle of the room. Hinata lay on top of the starched white sheets, groaning and sweating. She was unconscious but regardless, her body was trapped in restlessness. Her small hands fisted and unclenched, her head swung back and forth, her toes dug into the mattress, her pale face grimaced, her mouth gasped in air like a fish.

Shizune gingerly released Kiba and then rushed to the girl's side, double checking the medical kanji inscribed on the white strips hung like bridges from the monitors to the goosebump-covered skin of Hinata's arms and legs. Kiba was frozen, his own physical pain forgotten. His legs felt like dead weight and his mind was blank. He felt helpless and guilty because of it.

Shizune gasped as the seal, ugly and dark above Hinata's t-shirt collar, started to leak wisps of vicious purple chakra. At the sight of it, panic seized Kiba's chest again.

"Hinata?! Hinata!"

* * *

Glowing. Everything was glowing. Glowing white. Hyuuga white.

_Where am I?_

Hinata squinted at the bright surroundings and a faint sound reached her ears. She turned and noticed a younger girl crying softly into her hands, curled into a tight foetal position about ten paces from her.

_Who...? Me. Younger me. _Hinata noted, bewildered.

"I'll...never amount to anything. I'll...die just like my weak mother..." the little girl sobbed harshly, trying to stifle the tears with her little hands as she repeated her father's words from a day Hinata had tried desperately to forget numerous times.

Hinata's eyes widened in an abject bolt of fear as she suddenly found herself in the shadowed memory of the Hyuuga dojo. The girl, a minute ago curled in blank space was now huddled on the hard wooden floor, her father standing over her, intimidating, disgusted with her and her tears. The shame and terror of that day, the last day her father trained with her, washed over her as bitter as it had the first time, and every time she thought of it.

"...because I didn't have enough power," Hinata's younger self whimpered as Hiashi walked steadily out of the dojo without looking back.

"If you don't have power, you can't do anything! Because I didn't have power, Father turned his back on me...No..."

The young Hinata's voice hardened as she slowly lifted herself into a crouch, her fingers digging into the floor. Hinata watched and listened, her eyes glimmering with fright

"No...you _let_ him turn your back on you..." The little girl accused, glaring up at her older self from the floor. "You just cried like a weakling..."

Hinata trembled as the girl's voice suddenly shifted into a dark hiss. Her eyes glowed an inhuman yellow in the dark shadows of the memory.

"If only you had power..." Her younger self offered in a slithering voice quite unlike her own.

"Power..." Hinata's trembling stopped as she mumbled the word absently to herself.

She thought of how Kiba would be burdened with protecting her until he undoubtedly got himself killed, how Naruto would never even recognize her existence until she proved her worth, how her father's pride was so out of her reach unless something drastic occurred.

The word 'power' slunk through her mind with its usual attributes of 'unattainable' but then...suddenly it wasn't...Suddenly...

* * *

Shizune's eyes widened as the purple chakra started to escape out of Hinata's tenketsus like plumes of smoke. Then the wisps suddenly darkened and twisted around the girl's form like snakes until her entire body was engulfed in them.

Suddenly, the poisonous chakra erupted out of her in a spiralling column that scorched the ceiling, cocooning Hinata in its thick, shadowed centre. Shizune flung her arms up in a protective cross in front of her and backed away until she found herself next to Kiba, who was gaping at the scene in horror.

Her dark form seemed to flicker on, as though small light bulbs had been cast across her body, as the seal spread to cover her face, neck, shoulders, and upper arms. It burned itself into her skin like glowing embers as she slowly stood.

Her feet hit the ground and Kiba hunkered down as the toxic chakra flew around the hospital room in a whirlwind, slamming the monitors to the floor and scattering bandages everywhere.

Shizune approached her patient again, trying to convince her to lie back down in a calming voice. As she got closer to the girl, Shizune saw that her Byakugen had been activated and the curse seal patterning her upper body was a sinister black. It was splashed across her face, overlaying the Inuzuka fangs.

"Lie down? Why? I feel...strong," she said, tilting her head to take in the print on the skin of her arms above the elbow. A very un-Hinata-like smirk graced her countenance.

"I understand now," she continued, her soft voice steady. "I won't be weak anymore. With this power, I don't need to be."

Then Hinata knew with terrible certainty that she'd do anything to keep this power, to not be the weakling everyone knew her as.

Kiba stared. This wasn't Hinata. This wasn't his team mate, his wife. This wasn't the girl he loved.

Shizune stealthily slid a syringe into the girl's shoulder. She managed to inject most of the dosage but before Hinata succumbed to it, she shrieked in shock and a blast of chakra knocked Shizune back into a wall. Then the dark-haired girl fell to her knees. Kiba raced forward and caught her before she hit the floor face-first. He gazed at her worriedly, watching the seal retreat to its place on the pale skin between her collar bones.

"This isn't good. Her chakra is completely different from before," Shizune panted, coming to stand next to him. But she didn't have to tell Kiba that. His enhanced sense of smell had already informed him.

* * *

Sakura twiddled her fingers as Naruto sat on his bed next to the pile of recently removed ace bandage, gingerly bending over to pull on his shoes. Sasuke hadn't moved from his position by the open window.

"I was just kidding," Sakura said anxiously. "Naruto, you're wounded. I'm not making you come to my wedding wounded."

"Nonsense," Naruto said happily as he stood up. "I dare you to find a wound on me."

He held out his arms and spun in a circle. Sakura frowned slightly--Naruto was right. There weren't any signs of injury on his body at all, not a bruise or scratch. But those bandages hadn't been there for nothing. She eyed the stains on them with confusion but decided to dismiss it for now. She had seen stranger things than a fast healer after all.

"Are you going to Gaara and Lee's wedding tomorrow?" She asked, looking between the Uchiha-Uzumakis.

Sasuke shrugged. "Probably."

"It'll be awesome to see what happens when Lee's crazy old grandfather meets Kankurou and his stern bodyguards," Naruto said gleefully, tugging on his jacket.

"Oi, Naruto," a voice suddenly called from the window.

Sasuke started at Jiraiya's sudden appearance behind him and moved out of the sannin's way so the white-haired man could sit down heavily on the window sill.

"Ero-sennin?!" Naruto screeched.

"Naruto..." The sannin started seriously. "I came to talk to you about an important matter. From here on out, you're officially my apprentice. I'll be training you one-on-one for three years."

"Three years?" Naruto asked, puzzled at the specificity of the number.

"When I was investigating Orochimaru's immortality jutsu, information concerning Akatsuki came to light."

"Information?" Naruto prompted, the memory of Itachi and Kisame at the door to their hotel room loomed in his mind. He looked to the sannin to continue but Jiraiya shot a glance at the other two

"They can stay," Naruto stated evenly, meeting Jiraiya's grave gaze.

"Naruto..." The hermit warned.

"They can _stay_."

Jiraiya glared at him but Naruto wouldn't budge. Sakura frowned, smart enough to know she wasn't being told something. Sasuke had already guessed (correctly) at the reason for the apprehension. Eventually the old ninja sighed in defeat.

"The Akatsuki won't be after you for at least three or four years."

Naruto thought for a minute. "That doesn't matter. We have to go after Orochimaru before he comes after anyone else!"

Jiraiya chuckled. "I already know why he wants Sasuke and now the Hyuuga girl."

"Inuzuka," Sakura corrected quietly.

"You know?" Naruto asked, blue eyes big and expectant.

Sasuke tensed.

"Like I said, I was investigating Orochimaru's immortality jutsu. He can't transfer to another body for three years or so. And he got impatient while waiting for Sasuke, so he just transferred recently. So for three years it's alright. We have time."

"Really?" Naruto said gleefully, oblivious to the shadowed, pensive look in Sasuke's dark eyes.

"Though I'd forget about attacking Orochimaru. Akatsuki is your main opponent," Jiraiya said sternly.

Sakura bit her lip, wondering if she should ask what she didn't know. But she was getting the sneaking suspicion that she specifically wasn't _supposed_ to know something.

"What? No way!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm going after that creepy snake as soon as I get a little stronger. Hinata deserves justice. Sasuke deserves justice!"

"Baka," Sasuke muttered, irritated the blonde thought himself something of the dark haired boy's avenger.

"What if Orochimaru had captured you today? And used you to bargain with Akatsuki?" Jiraiya snapped angrily. His white hair seemed to bristle with his attitude.

Naruto blinked. "Bargained for what?"

"...me," Sasuke supplied broodingly.

A small gasp escaped Sakura and Naruto jolted, surprised. That hadn't even crossed his mind.

"Think about it, you little brat," Jiraiya continued. "Even though they're on bad terms, the Akatsuki would happily kidnap Sasuke to trade him to Orochimaru for you. You'd play right into their hands. If you want to help Hinata and Sasuke, you've got to keep away from Orochimaru _as well_ as the Akatsuki."

Sasuke's hands fisted. He did _not_ need help.

"But after my wedding right?" Sakura said in a small voice, nervously twisting her hands together, not daring to ask why the Akatsuki wanted her blonde team mate. Though if she had to guess, she'd assume it was because of the oddly large stores of chakra inside him. She spared a short glance at the pool of bandages still on the bed.

Jiraiya and Naruto turned to look at her. Though standing in her wedding outfit, Sakura had never seemed more like a little girl at that moment.

Both offered her a reassuring smile.

"When you leave the hospital, get ready," Jiraiya said in parting, and then left the same way he entered, through the window, onto the back of a giant toad.

* * *

Hinata woke up curled on her side, the curse seal quiet and deceptively harmless. Her eyes opened and closed, but even her bloodline limit wasn't helping her comprehend sight at this point. She knew there was someone sitting on her bed. And behind the figure was a sheer white curtain with several shadows muttering on the other side of it.

Tsunade's low voice seemed to be querying a panel of people. Hinata could barely hear the questions she was pressing to Sasuke, Anko, and Sakura--if her ears weren't wrong--who each then answered, providing some further detail about Orochimaru's 'gift'.

Vivid images of what took place before she had been knocked out sprung into her mind in full colour. She felt the snake's seal weigh heavy on her chest and her eyes filled with tears.

"What was I...?" She whispered in a small, frightened voice.

A warm hand slid into her own and she found Kiba looking down at her worriedly. She gripped back and the tears came a little faster. She didn't deserve the blatant affection in his eyes.

"Hey, it'll be okay," he said, softly.

She shook her head, refusing to be comforted, and bit her lip to stifle the tears. He sidled closer to her, drawing her head into his lap, and cradling her against him. She clung to him.

"Y-you shouldn't have to take care of me, Kiba. I'm a ninja too. I shouldn't be so much of a burden," she mumbled, pressing her wet cheek into his leg.

"So we'll train more. You'll get stronger and then you'll be the one protecting me," he said with a short laugh.

She gave him a sad smile and squeezed her eyes shut, hugging him a little tighter. He tucked a dark strand of hair behind her ear and knew that, as back up he'd make himself stronger too. Kiba had overheard about the three year period of relative peace they'd have. By the end of it, he decided, he would be powerful enough to _destroy_ Orochimaru.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Yeah, I don't know how to go about building a bridge but there ya go. Also I can't write fight scenes...that's partially why this took so long.

I partly got the idea for Sakura's wedding kimono from shidesha's "Sakura - Springtime Serenity" on deviant art. Good stuff. Should check it out.

Oh, I was thinking of writing up two years worth of filler chapters before I got back to the plot.

Thanks to **chunky gordan 2th**, **deeperifall**, **Sera Luanma**, **Some literate fellow**, **lynex7**, **shikonjewel**, **moon-bunny735**, **SelfProclaimed** **Genius-san**, **Alley-Oop**, **Adela** **Nightmoon**, **mellybanelly**, **Ryou-la-lune**, **Social disorder**, **tenshineechan**, **Jess** **Anime**, **whiterose03**, **Stalker-san**, **JadeRedemption**, **Laie Himura de Fanel**, **Midnight****Shining** **Star**, **Sue Black**, and **YueYoukaiEclipse**.

**ShadowSpirit2** – Yep, that's the image. Thanks for reviewing!

**derawr** – LOL. I know exactly what you mean.

-Ms Trick


	9. Three Years Later: Part 2 Track 9

**Sealed  
IX**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 9 – Three Years Later

TenTen breathed heavily as the rain poured down, her multitudes of weapons scattered around her. Neji stood in the centre of a weapon-free ambit not too far away. Lee delivered a kick that splintered the tree he was practicing against and spent the next few seconds pulling his foot out. He managed, and ambled over to his two team mates.

The three of them were drenched--it had been raining heavily all morning. But with the summer humidity, the downpour was a welcome relief.

Now that they had stopped their intense training, TenTen was starting to feel a little chilled. She folded her arms but only grumbled about having to manually carry all her weapons home as the carrier scrolls would be useless if the rain made the ink run.

"Where's Gaara today?" She asked.

They were at the section of the training grounds they always used, but usually the stoic redhead would be with them. The four of them would spar, breaking off into twos--Neji against TenTen, Gaara against Lee--or sometimes three against one if Gaara was up for it.

"He didn't say anything at breakfast," Lee confessed, hopping from one foot to another to stop from getting chilly. "I think he's just discontented that his sand attacks are less effective in the rain. I'll go find him, if you don't mind."

"Go ahead, Lee," Neji said, coming towards them, dripping wet and looking a little less majestic than he usually did. "I'm meeting Hinata soon."

Neji watched Lee head off and then turned to find TenTen laying out one of her scrolls in a dry patch underneath a tree Lee hadn't busted. He swooped down and gathered two handfuls of kunai and shuriken out of the wet grass that was getting muddier by the second. Drops of brown splattered his wife's ankles as she hurriedly collected her weapons, picking them up and throwing them towards the seal in the middle of the open scroll before the rain could do any damage to it.

The weapons landed dead centre each time and disappeared with a small puff of smoke. With Neji's help, their task was done in a few short minutes.

Neji twisted and wrung out his long hair as TenTen protectively packed the scroll into her pack. Overall, Neji thought, she hadn't changed much since their wedding almost three years ago. At least she didn't appear to have. She wore her forehead protector in the standard place across her forehead like she always had but Neji didn't need the Byakugen to see the seal hidden underneath now.

He wondered if TenTen minded the mark of the Hyuuga branch house. He asked her, knowing she would deny it regardless of how she actually felt and also knowing that there wasn't actually anything he could do about it if she was unhappy.

"Of course I don't mind it," she predictably responded as she slung her wet bag onto her equally wet back. "I don't really think about it all that much. It's not in a place I can see all the time, after all."

She smiled at him as he brushed back a wet strand of his dark hair. He put a hand on each of her damp cheeks and pulled her in for a brief kiss. It was sweet, if a little passionless.

As they quickly made their way back to town, TenTen inaudibly sighed. Neji was always good, romantic even, to her--she just wished that once he would kiss her like he meant it, like she meant something to him.

* * *

Gaara swiped at the drops cascading over his forehead. Despite the downpour of cool rain, he was sweating.

He stood in a clearing that, on a good day, was opportune for drawing sand out of. He growled, dug his feet into the softening ground and brought his hands together purposefully.

He gritted his teeth and concentrated. The sand lying damp and downtrodden at his feet rose in a heavy cloud. The rain fell hard, shooting holes in the gold cloud mercilessly. Gaara panted as he forced it to shift into the form of Shukaku's spear. But before the soggy lump of sand could become anything other than a soggy lump of sand, he dropped his arms, which were burning from exhaustion. The jutsu broke and the sand collapsed back onto the ground formlessly.

Though breathing heavily from the exertion, he managed to glare at the sandy brown earth. He scuffed his shoe against it, frustrated at his body's limits. He closed his dark-lined eyes and soaked in the rain for a minute.

"Know what you need to work on?" Came a voice.

Gaara opened his eyes to see his slightly-less soaked husband squelching towards him. Gaara's deep red overcoat absorbed water at much quicker rate than Lee's spandex and chuunin vest.

"Believing in the springtime of my youth?" The redhead asked flatly.

"Close. Taijutsu," Lee said with a grin that somehow managed to sparkle despite the lack of sunshine.

It was ironic, Gaara thought, how different their styles of fighting were. Lee solely depended on taijutsu while he hardly ever used it, though being a ninja, he did have a basic range of it as his command. He was utterly disabled by rain, Lee was unaffected.

A small smile graced Gaara's lips and he nodded.

"You'd be the one to help me work on it," he said evenly, turning to face the taller teen.

The rain seemed to wane from a roaring downpour to a sulking drizzle. On the shoulder strap of the leather chest guard keeping Gaara's large gourd strapped to his back, twin forehead protectors reflected the light silver sky with a glint.

* * *

The drizzle kept up. It nearly created a disjointed beat that Hinata and Neji could spar along to as it plunked and dribbled down the roof above the Hyuuga dojo. The mock battle ended as it always did: with Neji delivering a mock fatal blow. His hand screeched to a halt in mid-palm thrust mere centimetres from Hinata's pale eyes.

There was silence for a second, only the constant sound of rain, and her cousin's calloused palm filled her vision (well, not all of it obviously). Then he pulled away calmly, leaving her slumped against the wall, catching her breath.

She collected herself with a sigh, running a hand through her long hair.

"I should get back," she said.

"Want me to walk you out?" Neji offered politely.

She shook her head. "Um, it's okay. I'll see you soon, Neji-nisan," she said as she exited through the dojo's wooden sliding door, trying not to let on how tired she was.

She hurried through the once-mundane hallways, guiltily using her sight to make sure her father was still in his study. Coming to meet with Neji had been strange at first, knowing she didn't live here anymore. She was used to it now, of course. She reached the front door and quickly tugged on her shoes. She didn't hesitate to escape into the light rain at a jog.

Her father had practically disowned her. She knew that. She didn't really want him reminding her. He wouldn't say anything about it if they ran into one another but the tight smile and the lingering gaze on her red facial markings said enough.

Down the street from the Hyuuga complex, Hinata tiredly slowed her walk despite the drizzle. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to go back to the Inuzuka sector yet. If she did, she'd be coddled and dried off...taken care of like she always was, more so since she got the seal.

She sighed. She loved her new family but they were a little suffocating sometimes. Inuzukas were always nudging each other or tussling with each other or hugging each other or pushing each other--there was always a lot of physical contact, between humans _and_ dogs.

While she relished the warm, familial atmosphere, sometimes she got nostalgic for the more clean, polite way of living/eating/addressing each other that the Hyuuga clan ground into its members.

Right now, she just needed space to breath. Away from those she loved and who she knew loved her. Just for now.

Her thoughts irritably turned to her spar with Neji. She stepped in a large puddle as she made her way up through the town and past the Hokage building. She kicked her icy feet to shake off the drops.

She liked sparring with Neji but she seemed to be making little headway. She tucked her hands into her pockets, resisting the urge to run her fingers over the seal just visible under her mesh shirt. She often thought the seal encompassing Orochimaru's one only seemed to draw more attention to it.

But it was a moot point. The seal didn't matter. Any occasional, sporadic boosts she got from it were always severely quashed afterwards, suppressing some of her own chakra with it. So little headway or no, sparring with her cousin was the only way she would get any better.

She found herself at the top of the Hokage Mountain and realised she wasn't alone. She hesitated, unsure whether the dark figure would want company, or if she herself wanted it.

"Did you want something from me?" Sasuke asked, not removing his gaze from the damp village below.

"No, I...um, just c-came here to...well," Hinata stammered, her fingers automatically meeting each other in a fidget.

"It's Naruto's favourite spot," Sasuke supplied apathetically.

Hinata blushed and ducked her head. "Y-yeah."

She eyed his back for a minute, taking the taller teen in. His style hadn't changed too much in Naruto's absence. He was in his usual black t-shirt, the Uchiha symbol stitched into the back of the collar with a miniature Uzumaki spiral stitched right under it.

His katana was strapped ominously to his back. His shorts were also black and cut off about his knee. From there down, his legs were wrapped in bandages with black straps crisscrossing over them. His forearms were covered in the same manner. He wore his forehead protector around his shoulder, much like Shikamaru.

But what was truly striking about him was the immensely strong chakra snaking through his body.

It could be hers too, she knew.

Though she wouldn't even think it too loudly for fear of someone hearing...a very small part of her was in awe of what the seal had done to him despite the mistrust and the added bonus of the tracking seal around his ankle that let the Hokage know his whereabouts at all times.

She glanced at where it was hidden under the bandages and briefly entertained the thought of being told she was so powerful that they'd have to keep an eye on her too. But Hinata knew she'd never be that dangerous, never be considered enough of a threat to be marked. She wouldn't go to Orochimaru and took some comfort in the fact that the Hokage trusted her on that.

Hinata slowly approached the railing, coming to stand at Sasuke's side. His head was tilted up, watching the sky as the rain began to clear, first gradually and then very quickly.

"Th-the three years is almost up," she said quietly.

He looked at her, dark eyes weighing whether she was thinking of Naruto's subsequent return or Orochimaru's coming unrest. She absently ran a thumb over the mark on her chest and Sasuke concluded her thoughts probably weren't on her infatuation with his husband.

"They want me to tell you to ignore the seal," he said, returning his gaze to the village. A humourless chuckle escaped him, mimicking Hinata's own feelings on the topic.

Both of their seals, despite the ancillary one containing Hinata's, had been flaring up regularly since last week. The black marks would feel hot, as though burning the skin, and several sharp lances of pain would sing through the body--Orochimaru was calling, morbidly reminding them that they had not been forgotten.

"I d-doubt they really understand," she said dejectedly.

"They don't," Sasuke stated, a little disgust creeping into his usually neutral tone. As he turned to leave he paused, allowing a rare smile to cross his face.

"I can think of someone who might though," he said, blonde hair and blue eyes that turned red flashing into his mind.

She watched him go, briefly wondering if he didn't love Naruto a little more than she did. She smiled to herself, thinking she should go find Kiba. She could use some puppy love about now.

* * *

Sakura turned her attention away from the drops hanging on the window back to the other occupants in the Hokage's office.

"When are Temari and Shikamaru getting back from Sand?" She wondered out loud.

"Later today," Tsunade said as she lay out a large scroll on her cluttered desk.

"Great!" Ino said brightly. "The academy will certainly be glad to have them back."

"You're just sick of having to listen to Koori complain about having to be the substitute for their classes," Sakura snickered.

"Well, what does she _expect_?" Ino huffed. "The frickin' _Chuunin__Exams_ are coming up and _someone_'s got to be the correspondents to the other nations."

"Girls, pay attention now," Tsunade said. "Just one or two more things before we're done for today."

The two girls grew serious, eyes on the Hokage expectantly. The blonde woman gestured to the scroll, which was spattered with various black designs ranging from simple symbols to complex ciphers.

"Seals, like I was saying, are another way of forcefully and, usually permanently, manipulating another person's chakra."

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek at 'permanently'.

"A seal can clearly do a number of things--suppress one's chakra, increase it, poison it, contain it, store it...not to mention alter physical traits," she said, folding her arms and leaning against her desk.

Sakura and Ino both moved forward to get a better view of the open scroll.

"Medically, seals are prone to causing complications. If a patient has a noticeable marking, make note of it immediately. Often, they can interfere with the healing process." Tsunade sighed, staring out the window while the two girls pored over the example designs. "Plus, seals are usually play-it-by-ear, different for everyone. Even two people with the same seal, like Sasuke and Hinata, will react differently to it."

The two girls looked at her and she continued her lecture while studying her crimson nails.

"Hinata's also a good example of a seal designed to block another seal," she said before stifling a yawn and staring longingly at the sunlight falling onto her floor.

"We'll continue this lesson later," she said abruptly, standing and stretching. "I need a nap."

Ino laughed and ran a hand through her hair and Sakura snorted.

This was nothing new. More often than not, the Hokage ended their weekly lessons with a jaw-cracking yawn. This was becoming more common as the weather steadily got more humid.

Sakura playfully elbowed Ino as they made their way out of the office and wondered whether Temari would be home in time for dinner.

* * *

As the afternoon went on, the sunshine grew bolder and splashed down confidently on Konoha's rooftops. The sidewalks and doorsteps dried quickly. The puddles settled into still, horizontal mirrors and then began to shrink.

Adults and children gleefully fled their houses. Many bright faces tilted upwards happily as the sun tossed every cloud away...and suddenly the tranquil afternoon broke into pieces, as a voice seemed to ring from the sky:

"ALRIGHT!! I MISSED THIS PLACE! LOOK OUT KONOHAGAKURE! UCHIHA-UZUMAKI NARUTO IS _BACK_!"

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Alright, that's it. I'm putting something spicy in the next chapter--in character or no.

Thanks to **FREAKSHOW1**, **Shinigami**, **DaUglyChibi**, **Laie****Himura** **de Fanel**, **Lazy-Hime**, **Midnight****Shining** **Star**, **sasuxnarucute**, **Jess** **Anime**, and **Stalker-san**.

**Alley-Oop** – Thanks for the good idea. :)

-Ms Trick


	10. Track 10

**Sealed  
X**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 10

"ALRIGHT!! I MISSED THIS PLACE! LOOK OUT KONOHAGAKURE! UCHIHA-UZUMAKI NARUTO IS _BACK_!"

"You don't really look like an Uchiha," a disembodied voice said doubtfully from the building he was standing on.

"I'm married to one," he yelled offhandedly, suddenly noticing the new addition to the Hokage Mountain. He openly grinned at the large rock reproduction of Tsunade's face.

"You've grown a lot, haven't you Naruto?" Kakashi said from surprisingly nearby.

"Tch, I doubt that," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto spun on his high perch to find his sensei with a ubiquitous orange book lounging in the sun on a nearby rooftop. His very own dark-eyed husband was standing irritably at the masked jounin's side.

"Kakashi-sensei! You haven't changed at all!" He said, leaping onto the roof. "Sasuke! You're..." His eyes roved over the taller teen. "...incredibly pale."

Sasuke's blank look dropped into a scowl.

"I haven't seen _that_ look in almost three years," Kakashi said with a chuckle, turning a page in his novel with a thumb.

"Oh, that reminds me," Naruto said, slinging his bag down in front of him. "I have something for you, sensei."

"Sasuke-kun!" A familiar voice called up through cupped hands.

Sasuke looked over the edge of the roof to see Sakura waving up at him from the street. Jiraiya was standing at her side with his arms folded. He was turning to look as Konohamaru and his two team mates ran giddily towards them.

Naruto watched Sasuke leap elegantly over the edge from the corner of his eye, ignoring the way his sensei's hands trembled excitedly as he took the new copy of the unreleased Make-Out Tactics. Kakashi got joy out of the weirdest things, Naruto thought.

"I thought it was kind of boring but you like it, right?"

Jiraiya scowled as the breeze blew their conversation down to him.

The blonde grinned at his masked sensei, who was holding the book like it was a holy object.

"Naruto? Naruto, is that you?" Sakura called up excitedly.

"Sakura-chan!" He yelled, turning to look happily at the little pink head below.

"Glad to be back then?" Kakashi asked, not glancing up from the glory that was his new reading material as he opened it slowly.

"Definitely! I missed everything. You and Sakura," he drifted into silence for a moment, his blue eyes soft with nostalgia. "And Sasuke's...incredibly pale. Like, paler than most people."

Kakashi's laughter carried all the way down to the others down on the street.

* * *

"Why wouldn't Kakashi-sensei just walk _with_ us to the training grounds?" Naruto muttered exasperatedly as he and the other two members of Team 7 ambled across town.

He had to admit. It gave him a small thrill just being with them again. Sakura was more of a woman (despite Naruto's earlier reassurance that she hadn't changed a bit--boy had she gotten mad) and Sasuke appeared even more formidable than he had managed at the age of twelve (Naruto chocked it up to the abundance of black his outfit contained). But knowing that despite the changes, it was still the three of them together again...Naruto couldn't keep his smile off his face.

"You did give him a brand new perverted book. Why do you think?" Sasuke scoffed.

Naruto's eyes slid sideways and subtly ran over the dark-haired boy's form. He had to admit though, the black suited Sasuke. He was somewhat surprised to see both their clan symbols on the back of his collar.

Though Naruto of course still had the Uchiha mon on the opposite shoulder of his Uzumaki spiral (which was now sans the dangling addition), he had half-expected Sasuke to ditch his spiral as soon as the blonde had gotten out of town.

Naruto's blue eyes took in the katana on Sasuke's back and he briefly wondered how often it was used in battle--would Sasuke reach for it first thing in a fight or would he wait until he was forced to? A wave of giddiness coursed through Naruto as he considered that the upcoming match against their sensei would give him a chance to relearn his teammates' fighting styles. Much like the first time the three of them were set against the masked jounin.

"Temari!" Sakura called, running ahead to meet the older girl, who had just appeared at the mouth of an alley in front of them.

The two girls greeted each other with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Where's Shikamaru?" Sakura questioned.

"We split up after getting inside the gates," the blonde girl supplied, her eyes suddenly landing on Naruto and widening.

"Naruto? So you came back..." she said, placing her hands on her hips and smirking. "You got tall, shrimp."

He just grinned at her.

He wondered if black was in fashion this season or something as he took in her new black and red ensemble, noting that she still wore her Suna forehead protector across her forehead but had Konoha's symbol engraved on the protectors on the back of her black fingerless gloves.

"Temari, do you want to come to the training grounds?" Sakura asked.

"Nah, I've got to report to the Hokage and get some more paperwork done for the Chuunin Exams."

"Heh, the Chuunin Exams...that brings back memories," Naruto said, his eyes suddenly flicking to Sasuke as he remembered that the memories weren't good through and through.

"What are you planning?" Temari asked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto said with a frown.

"Well, it's a Chuunin Exam. And the only one from our age group that hasn't become a chuunin or higher is you."

There was a long pause as this information sank onto Naruto like a dark weight.

"WHAT?!" He whipped around and stared at Sakura. "You're a chuunin too?!"

"That's right!" She said, giving him a peace sign.

Inner Sakura twitched at the fact that Naruto didn't appear shocked at all that _Sasuke_ had attained a higher level.

"Heh," Temari chortled. "On a side note, Gaara, Neji, and I are all jounin. And Kankurou's Kazekage."

"Hn," Sasuke said, already bored with the topic.

Naruto shot a sidelong scowl at the dark-haired teen, _knowing_ that Sasuke would throw this in his face later. The rivalry that had had three years to cool off a bit was bubbling right back up all over again.

Naruto clenched his fists, feeling again the gap in ability that had separated him and Sasuke in the academy.

"Pretty good, Sasuke..." He said evenly, surprising everyone. "But I'm not going to lose to _you_, chuunin or not. And I'll definitely become Hokage."

"Tch, whatever, dobe," was all Sasuke said in reply, the faintest glimmer of a smile crossing his face.

Sakura smiled at her blonde team mate. _Looks like he's grown up a bit_, she thought warmly as he gazed up at the Hokage Mountain.

"Come on, you have to beat Kakashi first," Sakura joked, playfully taking hold of each of the boys by the wrists. "See you for dinner, Temari!" She called over her shoulder.

Naruto and Sasuke let themselves get pulled along for a few seconds and then Sakura dropped her hands. Unseen, a relieved look passed over Temari's countenance.

She let out a sigh and glanced sideways into an alley, where Shikamaru was leaning against the wall in the afternoon shadows, his hands in his pockets and his head tilted up towards the clouds visible in the strip of sky about the alley.

Temari casually made her way towards him. He didn't stop his sky gazing even as she came to a stop directly in front of him. Her eyes ran over the sight of his torso, the muscles easily visible under the black shirt under the open chuunin vest.

"So, Naruto's back, huh?" He finally said.

Instead of answering, she slowly slid a gloved hand around the nape of his neck, leaned in and pressed a long kiss to the soft skin under his ear. His eyes drifted shut and his hands escaped out of his pockets to grasp her bent elbows. Her nails scraped over his abdomen and a hot breath caressed the wet smudge left on Shikamaru's neck.

He moaned softly and his eyes opened to find her sea-green ones studying him tenderly. Their mouths met and she sank into his warm body, her arms wrapping around his sides under the open chuunin vest. His large hands slid up to her shoulders, cradling her lithe body against him.

A crow squawked loudly from its perch on a telephone wire above the alley and the noise pulled them out of the moment. They stood in each other's arms for a minute, both staring up at the interrupting bird.

Then Temari sighed tiredly.

"Should probably go," she murmured, reluctantly pulling away from him.

She heard Shikamaru mutter 'troublesome' under his breath but nevertheless, he straightened and zipped up the flak green vest, feeling a little cold despite the warm air. She gave him a small smile and he watched her hands unhesitatingly flick through a well-known combination before she vanished, leaving Shikamaru alone in the alley with the smoke from the teleportation justu wafting up towards the clouds.

* * *

"Sakura, tell me you're not making us take the long way just to show Naruto the stupid park," Sasuke said, a little annoyed that he hadn't noticed her manoeuvrings sooner.

"Ehehe, well he hasn't seen it yet. Besides, regardless of a detour, what are the odds of Kakashi-sensei getting to the training grounds before us?"

"But Naruto would have seen the park at some point anyway," the dark-haired teen said with a scowl.

"What park?" Naruto asked.

Then they rounded the corner of a bustling street.

"Oh. That park. Hey! That's where the Uchiha compound used to be."

At the end of the busy street, through the throng of afternoon shoppers, Naruto spied an oasis of lush green trees and grass. As the three of them made their ways towards and then entered the park via its main path, his eyes glittered. He took in the sweet, casual atmosphere that only a park could provide.

"What a neat idea! Was it yours?" He asked Sasuke.

He snorted. "No."

The main path took them right across the entire expanse of the small park and followed the thin, muddy bank of the Uchiha lake. A muddy metallic glint caught the corner of Naruto's eye and he turned to find a large bronze plaque set into a heavy stone sitting parallel to the path. He scanned the list of names and their embellishments to discover that it commemorated Sasuke's entire family. Save the two who were still alive, of course.

Naruto caught sight of Team 8 relaxing on a bench on the opposite side of the lake and watched them with something akin to glee as he and his team mates continued strolling in the warm, afternoon sunlight under the very blue sky.

Shino had his hood thrown back and both he and Kiba were eating out of boxes of snacks balanced on their laps. Between them, Hinata had a fluffy, gold puppy wiggling on her knees and playfully trying to nip at the zipper of her coat and at the ends of her long hair. She was smiling and occasionally reached down to scratch a large white dog--that couldn't be Akamaru, could it?--behind the ears, making his tail wag and thump against Kiba's shins.

Naruto smiled at the scene and closed his eyes, inhaling a deep lungful of Konoha spring air. It was damn good to be home.

* * *

_Team 7 eyed the two bells jangling as they swung from their sensei's fist with a keen sense of nostalgia._

_As Kakashi attached them deftly to his hip, he said, "Come at me--"_

"_Like we intend to kill you," Naruto inserted._

"_Or else we won't be able to get them," Sakura continued._

"_Right?" Sasuke finished._

_Kakashi was faced with three knowing smirks. "Exactly."_

_There was a pause and the masked jounin snapped his book shut and tucked it into his kunai pouch before deftly sliding his hitaeite up his forehead. His three students met his mismatched eyes with confidence and pride at their sensei's confidence in them._

"_Crap. Is one of us going to get tied to one of the stumps again?" Naruto suddenly said, his eyes on the three thick logs sticking out of the ground like thumbs. He remembered them taller._

_Sakura rolled her eyes at the question and Sasuke smirked, remembering exactly who that 'one of us' had been the first time they'd done this._

_Kakashi made a show of thinking before responding. "Possibly."_

"_Ah, hey. No fair...Sasuke's been training with you," Naruto said, his voice reminiscent of his childhood whine._

"_Not _all_ the time," Sasuke injected with a mutter, his eyes sweeping the ground._

_Kakashi bypassed the moment and merely said, "Shall we begin, then?"_

Now, a handful of hours later, Naruto raced alongside his team mates through the darkened woods surrounding the training area, ears open for any sound that resembled a jingle. The full moon hung heavily in the rich sky.

In the midst of keeping a mental tally of his remaining clones, his remaining weapons, and his own location, a single thought fluttered across Naruto's mind:

We've grown.

His clones were keeping Kakashi busy, chasing him towards the riverbank, where there was some open space that would hopefully counter Kakashi's immaculate stealth abilities somewhat. He unthinkingly summoned another ten, fifteen clones, aiming to give Sakura and Sasuke enough time to take their sensei off guard.

Sakura's improvement in the field over the last three years bordered on ridiculous. Naruto felt his crush on her rearing its head again. And why wouldn't it? She was prettier _and_ a better ninja--who wouldn't be in love? He allowed himself a wry smile when he remembered he was married. Not that the one he was married to wasn't also...well, prettier and a better ninja.

Naruto grimaced as he imagined Sasuke's reaction to that last thought and focused more on the dark-haired teen's movements. As they reached the clearing, as the three had planned, Sasuke's sharingan snapped into place with a whirl and he shot forward with a burst of speed to meet Kakashi head on in a rather Naruto-like approach.

Movements blurred as Sasuke and Kakashi threw fists and kicks in a battle of speed that Naruto's eyes could barely follow. There was a sudden glint in the moonlight and then the vivid sight of Kakashi adroitly flipping backwards to avoid the arch of Sasuke's katana, which sang through the airspace that their sensei had been inhabiting milliseconds before.

Naruto would never admit that speed had always been Sasuke's advantage over him, but it seemed that even he wasn't quite up to Kakashi's abilities just yet. Sakura gasped and Naruto's eyes widened as the masked jounin's hands flew through seals at an unthinkable pace, too fast for Sakura and Naruto to identify which seals had been formed.

"Shit," Sasuke muttered, his red eyes on their sensei as Kakashi raised a hand curled into the shape of an 'o' to his mouth. "Move!" He yelled, leaping backwards.

His team mates followed him without hesitation and a split-second later a fireball the size of a small house barrelled towards them, ripping up the ground with deafening shreds and setting more than a few trees ablaze before colliding with a mountainous rock and exploding in a shower of hot boulder debris and large tree branches.

A deleterious, unbreathable cloud of thick dust and smoke whooshed out like a quick fog across the area and above the treetops into the night sky. Team 7 scattered out of its range, back into the cover of the large trees and their large shadows.

Sure he was far enough, Naruto glanced around him, his eyes squinting for sight of the others. Finding no one, he hurriedly created a clone and sent it out to search for them before he slumped against the trunk of a tree to catch his breath.

He wasn't surprised when the clone returned with Sasuke a few minutes later. He dispelled the facsimile with a puff of smoke and his dark-haired team mate let him rest for a minute, red eyes scanning the woods.

"Sakura must have gone the opposite way," he commented apathetically as the blonde pulled himself to his feet.

They began to walk, keeping to the shadows. Naruto sent out another two clones and Sasuke had his sharingan to make sure Kakashi didn't creep up on them. He vaguely wondered how many clones Naruto had out and how many more he could call up--Sasuke suspected large numbers for both questions.

Naruto watched his husband as they walked. Sasuke's gaze was on the path. After a minute of silence, Naruto predictably broke it.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" He asked tactlessly. It hadn't passed his attention that after the leaving the roof earlier, Sasuke hadn't so much as looked him in the face.

"You assume you're something to look at?" Sasuke retorted, eyes still ahead.

"Maybe I am..." Naruto said slyly. "Maybe ­_that's_ why you're not looking at me."

"Can we not do this _now_?" Sasuke hissed incredulously as he turned and suddenly fixed his glare directly on Naruto, who didn't flinch at the sharp red gaze.

Sasuke made sure to keep the wall he was trying to maintain between him and Naruto solid despite the eye contact. The blue eyes made it a little more difficult than expected but Sasuke couldn't think of a less dangerous way to deal with the thoughts he'd been having since Naruto's reappearance that afternoon. He was attracted to the blonde; Sasuke could admit that much to himself.

He also knew all of the incredibly obvious reasons that it was a bad idea. The main one being Itachi--wasn't it always Itachi? Sasuke let his gaze fall back to the ground, much to Naruto's puzzlement, as Sasuke imagined exactly where this would go. He'd get attached to Naruto, he'd cultivate a bond, and Itachi would do a repeat performance of Sasuke's blood-stained childhood.

Plus, Naruto would be better in combat against the Akatsuki member if he wasn't fretting over Sasuke. Sasuke was sure that he shouldn't let Naruto get attached to him lest Naruto suddenly find himself disliking the idea that Sasuke would sacrifice himself to bring his brother down. It wouldn't do to have yet more interference in his quest for revenge.

Fucking bonds, Sasuke thought balefully.

"Wow, it's like you didn't miss me at all," Naruto said cheekily, folding his arms.

"That's not what I--" Sasuke broke off, frustrated. He was unsure how much of Naruto's statement was meant to purely guilt him and how much of it was Naruto's subtle way of asking something important.

Naruto was watching him closely and Sasuke took a step towards him, utterly unsure of how to breach the subject of how they should deal with any attraction between them. But he _was_ consciously aware that this was neither the time nor the place for this conversation. Sasuke's eyes finally drifted up to meet Naruto's again.

It was hard to think with those blue eyes zeroed in on him.

The sound of a large water jutsu exploding out of the river in massive jets and waves to forcefully crash over the ground and through the tree trunks could be heard not too far away, alerting both boys as to the location of Kakashi and Sakura.

And Sasuke casually reached a hand out and hooked a finger into the black cloth of Naruto's forehead protector, and swiftly dragged it down over his eyes.

Naruto resisted the urge to flail in the sudden darkness when he felt Sasuke's hand on his shoulder. Naruto tensed, keenly aware of the possibility of attack, and opened his mouth to argue. But then Sasuke's mouth was pressed firmly against his, the taller teen's lips at a deep, insistent slant that made Naruto's breath catch in his throat.

It was less of a shock than it had been when they were twelve.

There was a pause. A bird flittered out of the tree above them. Naruto found himself leaning into the kiss and the hand gripping his shoulder, wondering if Sasuke had his eyes closed this time.

* * *

Later that night as Sasuke lay in the comfort of his bed, he was still incredulous that they had won, had bested the famous CopyNin Sharingan Kakashi...because of a plot twist that Naruto hadn't even actually known.

He stared at the ceiling, replaying how the blonde's idea had gone like clockwork. Sasuke resisted the urge to snicker openly. Well, until Kakashi got to the end of the novel (or until Jiraiya stopped writing new ones), they held the key to his defeat.

The blonde teenager that was curled into Sasuke's side shifted slightly, a hand coming into a loose curl in the middle of the taller teen's solar plexus.

His quiet apartment had once again been filled with noise and energy as Naruto moved back in (laughing as he commented on how he thought Sasuke would have changed the furniture _a little_). In the few hours before tiredly climbing into his large bed, Sasuke had been absently wondering if Naruto would continue the habit that had begun before he'd left and sleep next to him.

About four minutes after Sasuke had laid his head down on his pillow, the blonde had finished brushing his teeth and had proceeded to take a flying leap over his prone husband onto what they both subtly designated as Naruto's half. Naruto had given a chirpy 'good night!' and seemed happy enough with Sasuke's noncommittal grunt for a reply.

Sasuke looked at him and frowned slightly. Now if only he could sort out how to deal with the guy he'd been married off to three years ago. If earlier this night was any indication, it was obvious he wasn't going to get very far holding the blonde at arms length.

Not too long after nodding off, the blonde had ended up nestling into Sasuke's side. _Like he always used to_, Sasuke had thought irritably. Now, two hours later, Sasuke was lying awake and staring at the ceiling, his arm around the blonde's shoulders for the sake of his arm's comfort--it had been going numb under the weight--while Naruto obliviously made _himself_ comfortable against Sasuke's side.

Due to the climate, both of them slept in their boxers with their torsos bare.

After a few minutes in this position, Sasuke realised that while this had probably been cute when they were 12, Sasuke would be 16 in three short months and snuggling under the covers meant a lot more than it used to.

As if confirming the dark-haired teen's thoughts, Naruto's sleeping self chose that moment to shift even closer. The blonde turned into Sasuke and Sasuke swallowed slowly as Naruto's leg bent, curling over his own, and a bare knee dragged up his thigh, pushing up the hem of his boxer shorts.

Sasuke exhaled quickly as the hand on his stomach lazily drifted into a loose clutch under his bellybutton. He willed himself not to move, though he could feel his body starting to take an interest in the unfamiliar contact.

_He's so...close_, Sasuke's mind whispered almost in awe as he turned his head slightly and found Naruto's face a scant few inches from his own. The blonde's necklace was sandwiched between his shoulder and Naruto's neck but Sasuke barely noticed. Almost involuntarily, Sasuke tilted his body towards the other teen, using the arm around his tan shoulders to pull them just that much closer. But the second before Sasuke closed the distance completely and brushed Naruto's lips with his own, he ducked his head to the side, a blush blooming over his face and neck.

_This is a bad idea_, he thought, his nose buried in the blonde hair above Naruto's ear.

A few meagre, tiny seeds of guilt and warning started to grow in Sasuke's mind. If he allowed this mutual attraction to cultivate, it wouldn't end fairly for either of them. He'd have to be completely honest with Naruto soon, he thought, tendrils of dread weighing him down into the sheets and cooling off his mildly aroused body.

_Yeah, soon._

* * *

_Author's Note_:

I decided to alter a screenshot to make some 'Sealed' fanart. Not NaruSasu unfortunately but meh, considering the tools on hand, I'm happy enough. The link for my deviantART page is in my profile if you're interested.

Thanks so much to **FREAKSHOW1**, **Lazy-Hime**, **Jess** **Anime**, **sasuxnarucute**, **Stalker-san**, **Hotaru-ai**, **Laie Himura de Fanel**, **rosekyo**, **KunochiDreamer**, **asylum-bound**, **derawr**, **lynex7**, **NaRuKo77**, **Shinigami**, and **Black Insanity**.

**Sue Black** – How was that, reunion-wise? Hope it met your hopes. ;)

**Alley-Oop** – Wow. I don't know what to say (and I'm not sure I'm really something to look up to) but thank you very much:) I really appreciated your review. Seriously, the entire reason I write is for people like you.

Special thanks to **james**, whose review I thoroughly enjoyed. Here, I'll reprint it:

"ur an idiot."

On the bright side, he remembered the punctuation mark. Imma go snicker to myself.

-Ms Trick


	11. Track 11

**Sealed  
XI**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 11

Sasuke balefully glared down at the blonde drooling onto his bare chest as the morning light knifed through the windows onto the bed.

"Ugh," he muttered, kicking the sheets off his legs and clambering out of the bed to his feet.

A disgruntled sound came from behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see one blue eye tiredly glowering up at him from under a mess of blonde hair.

Sasuke dismissively turned away and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He stripped off his boxers, disregarding the semi-hard state his teenage body always woke up in, and cranked the shower faucet to a warm temperature.

He stepped under the spray and rubbed water over the spot where Naruto had inadvertently drooled on him during the night. As his hair became fully soaked and fell across his vision, he ran a hand through it.

He grabbed some soap and his hands mechanically travelled across and down his body. When he reached his thighs, he paused, dimly noting that his morning wood didn't look like it would be going away any time soon.

He wrapped a slightly soapy hand around his erection and absently started stroking. Sasuke never really thought of anyone in particular when he was jerking off. Considering it a mere bodily desire, he didn't need to envision anything to reach orgasm. Rather, he just let himself get lost in the sensation itself.

A muffled noise made its way from the bedroom to Sasuke's ears and Sasuke had barely wondered what Naruto had done to make a noise that carried over the sound of the shower spray when the unexpected image of the blonde without clothes popped into his head.

And stuck.

_Could put that mouth to better uses_, his mind whispered.

Sasuke could feel a pink flush spread over his face and neck and he wasn't sure he could pass it off as a result of the hot water.

He couldn't shake off that thought though and his balls clenched, sending another flare of heat through him. He bit his lip and braced his unoccupied hand against the shower wall, at length giving in and letting the fantasy wash over him... blue eyes boring into him as that tanned body ground against and slid down his own, a pair of calloused hands scratching lightly down his thighs, warm breath ghosting over his bellybutton and then lower, that blonde hair brushing against the sensitive skin near his cock before a hot mouth--

"A-ah," he gasped, coming suddenly and with enough force to leave his knees with a slight tremble.

He just stood still for the next few moments, letting his hand drift away from his dick as the warm water drenched him. He waited for his breathing to calm fully and decided that, okay, maybe he'd allow himself to fool around with his husband a little. It _was_ technically his right.

Beyond the bathroom's closed door, Naruto was coming down from his own orgasm. He wondered if Sasuke had heard the noise that had escaped from him earlier. He wet his dry lips and crumpled up the pillowcase he had used to catch his cum. He wrinkled his nose and tossed the ball of fabric at the laundry hamper that Sasuke hadn't moved from next to the closet in three years.

Naruto laid back on his pillowcase-less pillow and folded his arms under his head. He grinned at the ceiling, waiting for Sasuke to get done with the bathroom.

Nope, he wasn't going to get melodramatic about the fact that he was very much attracted to both his team mates--he'd just go for the one he was officially allowed to have his way with.

His grin grew and he felt that this was going to be a good day.

* * *

Sakura woke up to find Temari awake and snickering next to her. The older girl was lying on her stomach under their white sheets, her elbows crossed under her as she gazed up at the wall above their double bed's headboard.

"What?" Sakura yawned, also wiggling onto her stomach to take in the picture of Sasuke with his shirt off.

It had taken a considerable amount of luck and good timing and hot weather to get such a picture. Sasuke's dark clothing had become too hot during one of his recent training sessions with Kakashi and so he'd removed his shirt. Sakura had had her camera because Ino had said she wanted to borrow it and she'd happened to pass the training grounds...

Sakura smiled, basking in the memory, as she confirmed that there was, in fact, nothing new about the picture and had no idea what the other girl was snickering at.

Temari turned to her and smirked. "Naruto's gotten pretty damn easy on the eyes too...Maybe we should add a picture."

Sakura laughed and snuggled down into her pillow. Through sleepy eyelids, she took in Temari's familiar form. Her dirty blonde hair, out of its usual four pigtails, fell messily to a little below her shoulders and brushed the straps of the pale tank-top she slept in.

Sakura decidedly rolled into Temari's side and the blonde good-humouredly nudged back.

"Coming to training today?" The younger girl asked, now cocooned tightly in the sheet.

"Hmm," Temari thought, reaching over and playfully tugging a strand of mussed pink hair. "Yeah, sure. The Hokage doesn't have me doing anything."

Sakura smiled and raised her face to press her lips against Temari's. Their soft mouths lingered happily and the hand playing in Sakura's hair turned into a more gentle caress that ended under the girl's chin. They broke apart slowly.

Their kisses and affectionate touches, though genuine, never really went further beyond that--neither of them were really lesbians and both of them knew it.

There was a pause and Temari's eyes lit up. She grinned in a way Sakura knew was usually reserved for battle before saying:

"We need a picture of Naruto and Sasuke making out."

* * *

After finishing her stretches, Hinata took a deep breath of the light morning air and took a familiar stance.

"Byakugen," she said.

Shino paid her no attention as he went through his own routine of pre-training stretches. Kiba and Akamaru were still yawning tiredly but were also warming up.

Hinata kept her breathing and her hands steady, blocked out the hum of her team mate's insects, and let her vision expand. Her sight glided through the world in negative until she found something of interest.

Team 7 and Temari were meeting on the training grounds on the other side of the small wooded clearing off to Hinata's right. She breathed and sharpened her gaze to make out the details.

Naruto's hair was a dark grey and Sasuke's was a sharp white in contrast as they went through the motions of a spar. Kakashi and Temari were beacons in their now-bright clothing and when Sakura's punch struck the ground instead of her opponent, Hinata was sure she felt the dirt beneath her sandals rumble a bit.

She noted that Sasuke had to be wearing a white shirt because it appeared black and she squinted until she could make out both tiny clan symbols on his back as he blocked a punch. She resolutely did not switch her attention to his sparring partner.

Instead, Hinata let her eyes relax and her vision defocus before releasing the Byakugen. Wary of straining herself too early, she kept her white eyes closed for a few minutes and tried not to sigh.

She had been so ready to embrace not loving Naruto anymore.

But it was easy to say you didn't love someone who was absent. She could get involved with what was around her and her everyday chores. Now he was back. And everything came back with him apparently: the overflowing admiration she had for his character, the stark contrast in their power levels...

She had never really stopped loving him. A wave of despondency rippled over her because whether she had stopped or not didn't matter in the least.

Could she even face him as a friend like this? She was still so weak. She thought morosely of the seal draining her spirits.

"Hinata?" Kiba asked curiously. "You okay?"

A wet nose pushed its way into her hand and her eyes opened. She gave Kiba a tired smile and then looked down at Akamaru's adoring gaze. She pet his head and lightly scratched behind his big white ears.

"Tired I guess," she said.

Shino gave her a look but she ignored it and Kiba didn't see it. Akamaru's tail swished happily.

"Oh don't do that. He's supposed to be a ferocious, threatening nin-dog," Kiba said with a wry laugh, watching his dog's tongue loll out of its mouth happily. "That reminds me! Nee-san said she wanted you to help her out with the new litter of puppies this afternoon."

Hinata nodded, still watching Akamaru.

Kiba frowned a little. Hinata had always been quiet but she hadn't been so introverted for a long while now. Since yesterday, she seemed to be living completely inside her own head, saying and responding to little.

Some embers of jealousy flared hot at the bottom of Kiba's stomach. He knew full well who'd come home to Konoha yesterday.

"Naruto's _married_, Hinata," he said in a suddenly monotone voice.

Her hand stilled and she looked up at him, eyes wide with fright. "K-kiba, I kn-know!"

"You are too," he said fiercely.

She blinked, hurt by the implications of what he'd said. Seeing the pained look in her eyes, Kiba appeared remorseful for a second. Hinata knew he was just hurting too but still, doubting her as loyal was unfair.

Kiba stalked off, leaving Hinata at a loss in the middle of the training grounds. Akamaru whimpered in alarm, a noise hardly befitting a beast his size. He licked Hinata's hand one more time and then loped heavily after his master.

She watched them go and fought back tears. A friendly hand landed on her shoulder and Hinata took some strength from it.

"He does have faith in you," Shino said in a steady voice. "He's more angry at himself for doubting you rather than actually at you."

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and blinked her wet eyes a few times, letting her friend's even tone ground her.

"Thanks, Shino-kun," she said quietly.

* * *

Sasuke stood in the open sunlight surrounded by Naruto and three of his clones. The clan emblems in miniature lay like small shadows on the back of his white shirt. A cool breeze blew over the training grounds and Sasuke found a punch, two kicks, and a handful of shuriken flying towards him simultaneously.

He blocked the punch, twisted out of the path of the weaponry, and leapt into the air to avoid the two kicks, snapping on the Sharingan as he did so.

The three clones multiplied into eight and Sasuke's eyes turned them into chakra forms. As expected of the Kage Bunshin Jutsu, it was impossible to distinguish which Naruto was the real one and each chakra figure had a spiral on its stomach that was glowing red.

Though Naruto was far from having a complete handle on the Kyuubi's chakra, Sasuke noted that he had managed to tailor it to fit his system a little better. When Naruto had first learned to tap into the fox's monstrous power, he hadn't been able to focus it at all; rather, it whirled around him and in all directions. But much of the red chakra so visible to the Sharingan was being kept in reserve by Naruto himself.

As Sasuke began to descend, another volley of glinting kunai flew towards him. He unsheathed the katana strapped to his back and whipped it in front of him in time to obviate any threat to his health.

Sasuke mentally calculated Naruto's growth and vaguely noticed the blonde doing the same with him. He recognized that Naruto was just testing him so far, that he wasn't attacking with gusto quite yet. They were still warming up.

Not too far away, the form of Sakura poofed into a wooden log as a rush of scythe-sharp winds blasted through it.

Temari caught sudden movement out of the corner of her eye and leapt sideways. Sakura's fist ruptured the rocky ground Temari had been standing on a second before and the blond girl rolled back up into a defensive stance, her large fan held open by the hand behind her back.

She caught sight of Sasuke's katana taking out three of Naruto's clones in a single slice.

Sakura considered options for her next move and immediately dismissed the use of any weaponry--the futility such attacks had been demonstrated quite thoroughly during their first chuunin exam. She found herself growing a little frustrated, as she always did when she sparred with her wife. Temari threw into sharp focus that Sakura's weakness was an opponentwith effective long-range attacks. As Kakashi had said during their redux of the bell training, her vicious strength didn't mean a thing if she couldn't land a hit.

"Remember though, I won first!" She heard Naruto huff loudly.

Temari looked over and Sakura rolled her eyes. Sasuke had his arm extended and a firm grip on his sword's hilt, the tip of which, glinting in the sunlight, was kissing Naruto's throat.

Sasuke frowned. "What?"

Naruto pushed the katana down and away from his neck and Sasuke let him. He returned it to its sheath on his back.

"Our first fight, right after graduating the academy, I won."

Sasuke folded his arms and thought for a moment. "Where you tied me up and then transformed into me for...fun, did you say?"

"Uh..." Naruto stuttered, glancing at Sakura. "Right. That's right."

Temari looked between the two, bored now that her sparring match had tapered off. Remembering that day, Sakura opened her mouth to inquire further but Sasuke spoke before she could get a word in.

"So you got lucky," he said with a smirk. "You surprised me. For the first and last time."

Sakura recognized that tone of voice; it was the one guaranteed to get Naruto riled up. And sure enough, the blue eyes narrowed.

"Hah! Or maybe I've just been stronger from the start and you've been getting better just to keep up with me, Sasuke-_chan_."

Sasuke grimaced and what he refused to label as an inferiority complex swished uncomfortably in his belly. Then the smirk slowly made its way back. Sasuke leaned in, locking his dark eyes with Naruto's.

"It's just the fox," he stated simply and surely.

Naruto scowled into Sasuke's face. "This argument again?"

"Maybe there's some truth in it," Sasuke sneered.

"You're still a complete--"

Naruto didn't bother finding an insult and just threw a hard punch to Sasuke's head. Caught off-guard and irritated because of it, Sasuke predictably countered with a blow of his own. It took less than a second for a full-fledged brawl to ensue, complete with name-calling and shirt pulling.

Leaning on her closed fan for support, Temari dropped her head back to look at the sky exasperated. Kakashi peeked over his book from where he was resting under a tree and debated going over and putting an end to it. Sakura had a puzzled frown on her face and she was staring at the two boys. Tsunade's voice echoed in her head: _seals can contain chakra_.

"...fox?"

* * *

Hinata's arms blurred around her as she batted away the swarm of Shino's insects, taking care not to do much harm to them. She dug her heels into the dirt and tried to keep her focus, but her thoughts and worries kept surfacing.

Shino had faith in her. And so did Kiba, if Shino was to be believed. The fact that her team mates respected and understood her enough to know she would do nothing to intentionally hurt Kiba or jeopardize their marriage gave her a small bloom of warmth inside her.

But this warmth was doused quickly with the realization that if Naruto came on to her, if he really showed interest...she had no faith in herself not to resist him.

Distracted by knocking the insects aside and her own rough thoughts, Hinata didn't notice Shino's sudden disappearance until it was too late. She belatedly spun to counter his attack but found that a sudden exhaustion was consuming her body. And her feet were swept out from under her.

As she fell, the craving to unhook the seal squirmed inside her. She had all this power lying quietly in the mark on her chest and if she just...

"Hey!" a voice called in a familiar bored tone as she hit the ground.

The air left her lungs in a rush. As she released the Byakugen and the sudden urge to tap into her seal, she turned her head to see Shikamaru standing nearby with his hands in his pockets.

Shino greeted Shikamaru politely and she lay there, trying to get her breath back and wondering what would motivate the lazy shinobi to walk all the way out to this training ground.

She let her eyes close. Why was she so tired all of a sudden? She hadn't used that much energy during the spar.

_Shino's bugs suck up chakra and I've been batting them away with the open tenketsus on my palms_, she thought groggily. _Nice job, stupid._

* * *

_Author's Note_:

THANKS SO SO MUCH to **asylum-bound**, **Sue Black**, **SelfProclaimed****Genius-san**, **Lazy-Hime**, **RavenMistress**, **Hotaru-ai**, **Laie Himura de Fanel**, **FREAKSHOW1**, **Alley-Oop**, **coldfront**, **Jess** **Anime**, **lynex7**, **Death****By** **Squishy**, and **YueYoukaiEclipse**.

**NaRuKo77** – You can find a description of Sasuke's outfit in the previous chapter and Naruto's outfit is basically following post-timeskip canon save the small addition of the Uchiha fan on the arm of his jacket. Thanks so much for the review!

**Midnight****Unicorn** – I don't know exactly how tall Naruto and Sasuke are, so apologies if I'm inaccurate. I'm just going by what I see and in the anime, Sasuke appears taller, so I'm just going to go with that. And yes, Gaara will have his time in the spotlight too (especially the next chapter), no worries about that. Thank you for the review!

**Gonrie** – Well don't give up on those pairings yet. ;) I've got some ideas for later.

**yamisxn** – You'll have to wait and see. :P

**Stalker-san** – Hope you're feeling better!

And also many thanks to those tracking this story on LiveJournal. Your reviews mean a lot to me!

-Ms Trick


	12. Track 12

**Sealed  
XII**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously. FINALLY some smut for you. Sorry for the wait!

* * *

Chapter 12

Ensconced in his usual chair, Orochimaru didn't look so good. The shadows and candlelight played over his grim, perspiring face as he focused on the four ninja standing in front of him.

"Time always comes through," he managed to drawl. "Head to Konoha. Now. And this time, if you don't bring me Hinata-chan or retrieve Sasuke-kun, don't come back at all."

* * *

In a small, secluded training ground where the grass was more suited to picnics than sparring sessions, Gaara stood with his arms firmly crossed and his jaw slightly clenched. While he appeared rather angry and unfriendly, the tiniest hint of pink on his cheeks let Lee know that this stance implied more shyness than anything else.

A burble of sand popped the cork out of Gaara's large gourd and it shot towards Lee's face with playful intent; the kind of playful intent that said it would be funnier if the shot actually hit. The older teen didn't even blink as he instinctively snatched and found the chunky cork clutched in his palm.

"If it is agreeable, I will take that as a 'maybe'," Lee said cheerily.

Gaara slumped a little more into his folded arms and looked off to the side, steadfastly pretending that he wasn't blushing.

"I...don't know how," he finally mumbled out.

"You assume much of me! I have no experience myself but I will not allow mere shyness to interfere with a bond such as ours...if you feel the same way, of course," he tacked on quickly, doing his best not to let Gaara's nervousness infect him.

Gaara gave only a small shrug at first. Then he realised that that was in no way adequate for such a situation, so he sucked it up and lifted his head to met Lee's eyes. His blush glowed even brighter but he gave a firm nod.

He received a blinding smile as a reply and Gaara's stomach dissolved into butterflies again. They had been married for three years now; he knew there was no reason for him to be timid.

He found it difficult to suppress though. He wasn't _used_ to intimate contact. Lee had respected that and had never pushed, and gradually Gaara began allowing Lee more contact on a daily basis. He stopped overthinking every time their hands brushed or Lee sat in close quarters with him. He stopped tensing at taps on the shoulder or claps of goodwill on the back. He got used to lying next to another's form at night.

Gaara kept his eyes on Lee's and briefly wondered how their relationship would have progressed if he actually slept. They had the one bed for the two of them but Gaara's permanent insomnia warped the usual night time dynamics of a married couple. Often, Gaara merely relaxed at Lee's side, resting his body as the taller teen slumbered.

He wondered if Lee ever wished they could share in the act of sleeping, like a normal couple. He wondered if Lee ever got fed up with his constant, automatic retreat from physical contact. He wondered how long Lee had wanted a kiss. He wondered if Lee had been hoping _he_ would make the first move.

A bandaged hand came forward slowly with the intention of settling on Gaara's shoulder, but with a surge, a wall of sand suddenly snapped up between them, hiding the boys from one another for a couple seconds before retreating.

Both Gaara and Lee blinked in surprise. Again, Lee slowly extended a hand and, again, he found his knuckles grazing the grains of a very solid sand defence. Gaara frowned, embarrassed that he was nervous enough that Shukaku's chakra was reacting instinctively.

Lee gave him an understanding look and raised both hands in a gesture of apology. Gaara, realising that his husband would back off and not hold it against him, felt a rush of guilt along with adrenaline at sudden the discovery of how much he wanted this kiss too.

He briefly considered what Naruto would do in such a situation and assumed that Naruto would do whatever it took to keep his bond with a precious person safe. Gaara mentally nodded with satisfaction--good plan...thanks Naruto.

He reached out and the sand defence parted around his arm and sank to the ground with a hissing sound. Snagging Lee's wrist, he pulled the taller boy closer and leaned in, finding that he actually had to go onto the balls of his feet a little to get his lips to meet Lee's.

His pale green eyes closed automatically and he wondered if he was doing it right. His grip loosened on Lee's wrist and the taller ninja's hands slowly found their way north. Fingertips stroked across Gaara's face and into his red hair with a reverence that nearly frightened Gaara into pulling back. He would have been able to understand if all Lee wanted was physical satisfaction but this...this was different, this was more than that.

The sensation of another person in such close proximity was addicting. His mouth opened a little and Lee's followed suite. This was new and strange. But it wasn't bad.

Lee moved a little closer, his head tilting slightly. He heard Gaara sigh as the kiss deepened further. A pair of hands hesitantly landed on his waist and he encouragingly ran a thumb over Gaara's pale cheek, delighted to find that Gaara didn't have his sand armour layering his skin.

When he did have that ultimate defence plastered to him, though his chakra coloured the sand to his natural appearance, his skin felt like warm glass; it felt unreal. But right now Lee just felt skin under his fingertips and against his lips.

"I...uh, hate to interrupt..." A voice intoned, startling Gaara badly enough that Shikamaru had to flip sideways to avoid being outright mauled by sand.

"This is _way_ too troublesome," he muttered disgruntled from where he sat on the ground.

He was eying the miniature beach now covering the grass at his side. After catching his breath, hauling himself to his feet, and wiping his hands on his pants, he finally said, "Akatsuki have been sighted. The Hokage wants you in her office."

* * *

As soon as Sasuke and Naruto realised that Sasuke had slipped up, there was a heart-stopping pause.

Naruto whispered, "Oh, you _bastard_..."

...and then the brawl promptly continued.

"Boys! Stop it!" Sakura yelled.

"_Shut up!_" They both hollered while Naruto got his right hand around Sasuke's throat and Sasuke twisted Naruto's left wrist painfully.

Thoroughly pissed off, Sakura took a step forward, planted a hand firmly on each of their chests and shoved both her team mates in opposite directions. Each flew backwards twenty or thirty feet and landed hard on the grass.

"_What_ has gotten into you? What's this about?" She asked fiercely, arms akimbo as she looked between them.

Tension hung in the air and all five of them could taste it when they breathed in. Naruto's glare was pure ice and Sasuke met it steadfastly, too proud for anything resembling an apology. Temari just looked between them, feeling out of the loop but also unwillingly intimately connected. Kakashi made no move to interfere--the ball was in Naruto's court, not his.

"Might as well go all the way, ne, Sasuke?" Naruto ground out as he and his dark-haired team mate slowly pulled themselves to their feet.

Sasuke looked away with a glare, which Naruto figured was as much remorse as he was getting from him because the great Uchiha Sasuke didn't explain himself to anyone.

"Sakura-chan, you still don't know, right?" He said, still not taking his eyes off Sasuke. "Inside me is sealed the demon fox Kyuubi."

Temari's eyes widened. _A jinchuuriki... He's just like Gaara._

Sakura gasped softly. "The Akatsuki..." she mumbled, her eyes slowly lowering to the ground in realisation.

"Yeah, that's why the Akatsuki's after me. And they want Gaara too. They want the monsters inside us because I guess that's all _some_ people, _like the Akatsuki_, can see."

Sasuke's head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes. Naruto wasn't implying that Sasuke was like...

Was he?

"Not even seeing us as real people...I can't stand that," Naruto trailed off, angry blue eyes dimming with his morose thoughts.

Sasuke was staring at the grass so hard Sakura was starting to think he was counting the blades.

The dark-haired teen didn't do guilt very often and he was now remembering why. He didn't like feeling this small and feeling like maybe he deserved to feel this small. He had just about forgotten how to apologize; it had been so long since he'd felt like he really owed anyone one.

But somehow it had never been a problem between him and his rival before--no matter how nasty things got between them--because Naruto was useless at accepting apologies. He either brushed off the idea that he had needed one (no matter how badly it had actually been needed) or he gloated and threw the apology back in the person's face.

The rustle of a book being opened met their ears and they all looked over to find Kakashi suddenly standing nonchalantly at Sakura's side. Without lifting his eyes, he addressed the group sullenly.

"This isn't what I call training."

"Kinda hard to train when your sparring partner doesn't take you seriously," Naruto huffed stubbornly.

Kakashi slowly raised his gaze over his book and mildly took in Naruto and Sasuke with one calculating, grey eye before speaking. What could he say to diffuse Sasuke's parochial idea of Naruto's power that wouldn't provoke Naruto into gloating?

"Technically, the Kyuubi's seal tarnishes a little more every time Naruto accesses the fox's power. As it tarnishes, the stronger Naruto's chakra needs to become in order to keep the Kyuubi suppressed."

Both boys absorbed this information with seriousness. Sasuke weighed this hidden strength of his husband's and Naruto morbidly wondered how long it would be until the seal tarnished to the point of danger.

"We're not done training for today," Kakashi said after a pause, closing his book and tucking it into his kunai pouch. "Naruto, Sakura, you'll be sparring with me. Sasuke against Temari."

And so their training continued as before. Sasuke stuck to taijutsu and electric attacks against the wind kunoichi, Naruto had at least ten clones out at all times to make up for Kakashi's speed advantage, and neither of the two boys said much of anything. This wasn't as noticeable in Sasuke as it was in Naruto, obviously.

When the hot sun was past high noon and their shadows were creeping out from beneath them, Kakashi finally said they could call it quits. Naruto nodded and Sasuke had his eyes closed against the cool breeze. Sakura peeled off her gloves, looking between the two. The boys' silence still worried her.

Then, as the five of them were ambling off the field covered in sweat, out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Naruto nudge Sasuke's shoulder. It was a small nudge. It could barely even be called friendly. But it reassured Sakura immensely.

Sasuke and Naruto's relationship was not a cuddly one. It never would be, Sakura thought. They wouldn't be strolling around holding hands anytime soon. In public, they hardly touched each other at all unless it was a brawl or the one or two times Naruto spontaneously threw an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. That arm was usually shrugged off quick enough, though.

Sakura figured this was because Naruto wasn't really used to being in close contact with people and Sasuke just wasn't the gooey typ--

"OW!" Sakura hollered a hand flying up to cover her forehead.

Temari lowered her hand with a small smile. "Stop--"

"--thinking about it so much, forehead girl," Sakura finished, rubbing the spot Temari had flicked and scowling good-naturedly. "I know. I know."

Temari's smile widened to a pleased, big sisterly look.

Sometimes it surprised Sakura how much she found herself really liking Temari's company. She put her arms around the older girl's neck and impulsively leaned in and kissed her. Both their mouths were a bit dry from the long training session but Sakura didn't care.

They pulled apart and Sakura blasted her with a tired smile. The blonde couldn't help but notice how pretty Sakura was getting.

"Shikamaru?" The pink-haired girl inquired suddenly.

Temari froze. Her spine locked and her heart plummeted to her ankles.

"Hey Shikamaru!" Sakura called, waving to someone approaching behind Temari's back.

As Shikamaru called over the rest of Team Kakashi to deliver his message, Temari forced away her jitters in chunky interstices. She took a few deep breaths--man, that had caught her off guard!

* * *

From where she was seated at her desk, the Godaime's sharp, honey-coloured eyes took in the ninja she had gathered in her office.

Sakura was present because she was her apprentice, obviously. Kakashi and Temari were here because of their jounin status. Gaara and Naruto had to know because they were targets. Sasuke and Hinata had to know because they were potential bait. And Shikamaru was a valuable strategist to her, even at his young age. When he wasn't teaching at the academy, she usually supplied him with more information than was custom for a ninja of his level anyway.

Of course, Tsunade knew full well that Gaara would end up telling Lee. And Hinata would tell Kiba who'd tell Shino. And Shikamaru would tell Chouji (who'd tell Koori) and Ino who'd then tell TenTen who'd tell Neji and eventually, all the chuunin would know this 'very secret' data.

It was _so_ much easier than distributing information officially. Though Tsunade had informed the rest of the jounin via regulation messages due to what minor respect for protocol she still had. She resisted the urge to smile with little effort and kept her manicured hands folded in front of her.

"Two Akatsuki members have been spotted not too far from Fire Country's borders. I want everybody to be on alert and I've decided to up the security of the village's entire outer ambit. So there will be more chuunin level patrol missions assigned until further notice."

"Do we know which two members?" Kakashi inquired, his thoughts focused on his student.

Sasuke tensed imperceptibly and Naruto quietly clenched his fists. His blue eyes kept flicking to the dark-haired teen at his side but Sasuke let nothing show.

"The Kazekage mentioned a run-in with two Akatsuki about a month ago and managed to identify one as Sasori of the Red Sands, the legendary puppet master of Sunagakure. I believe it to be him and his unnamed partner who are approaching us. Because they tried Sand first, their target is most likely Gaara."

Temari watched her younger brother out of the corner of her eye but he was stoic as usual. Gaara didn't do worry. He grew concerned over certain things but he kept conscious of the fact that worrying wouldn't solve a problem, a clear mind would.

Sasuke was disappointed that it wasn't his brother, but like Gaara, any emotion was kept off his face. He would have to wait a little longer for the confrontation he had planned his whole life and death around. But Sasuke had a guarantee that his waiting would come to an end in the relatively near future. He was married to the perfect bait, after all.

* * *

With a happy sigh, Naruto finished his fourth bowl of ramen and placed it on top of the stack of others with a porcelain-sounding clink. Tsunade's meeting had taken longer than he'd thought it would and he had been _starving_ the entire time because their training had run straight through lunch.

Sated, he sank happily into the stool and placed his chopsticks on top of the bowls. A late lunch at Ichiraku's was exactly what he'd needed. It would have been more fun with company, though.

Sakura and Temari had gone home together to eat and Sasuke had gone off to do grocery shopping. Naruto was sure that their kitchen had been stocked enough not to merit a trip to the market but Sasuke claimed they needed more than cereal and ramen to survive and didn't give Naruto a chance to argue.

The idea that people ate at home regularly was one Naruto was still getting used to. He had lived on his own for his whole life but he'd never gotten the hang of cooking--who would have taken the time to teach him? Surely not the jounin who rotated days on duty making sure he didn't hurt himself as a young child.

It had never bothered him before but now it almost felt like his friends were becoming adults without him, he thought as he dragged his nails lightly across the countertop.

Maybe he'd ask Sasuke to teach him how to cook. He could use it as an icebreaker to get them to start talking again after this afternoon. Though now it was probably for the best that he and Sasuke had split up for a few hours. He couldn't believe he had alluded that Sasuke was acting like his brother to his face. He couldn't believe Sasuke hadn't stuffed a chidori in him for it.

Naruto called out his thanks to old man Ichiraku and Ayame, spun around on the stool and leapt out through the flaps to find himself face to face with a very familiar pair of chocolate eyes.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically.

"Naruto!" His teacher said with a bright smile. "I was wondering when I'd run into you."

It was then that Naruto noticed the woman standing with her hands on her large, round belly at Iruka's side.

"Anko-sensei?" He said unbelieving. "Wow, you sure got fat."

Anko scowled and a good-natured laugh escaped Iruka.

"It's a baby, you little brat!" She yelled.

Naruto blinked. "A baby? Iruka-sensei's going to have a baby?"

He leaned down suddenly and gently pressed his ear to Anko's wide stomach, his hands lightly coming to a rest on it. She paused and watched the top of the blonde's head. His hair tickled her skin through the mesh shirt stretched across her bump.

Naruto closed his eyes and just listened, wishing his hearing was sharper so that he could hear the tiny heartbeat. Under the pads of his fingers and the palms of his hands, he could feel some wiggling on the baby's part. He could vaguely sense the small pocket of new chakra nestled safe and alive inside this woman.

"Wow," Naruto breathed in awe. "That's...really amazing, Anko-sensei."

She blinked in surprise, a little embarrassed. Iruka had no such reservations.

"Isn't it, Naruto?" He said excitedly before bending down and cooing at her belly, "Six months along already and you're going to grow up to be a big strong ninja. Or even a teacher like me."

Naruto chuckled at his father-figure's weird behaviour and Anko pushed his face away from her stomach with a smile.

"Don't do that! It's bad enough that I have to go through this ridiculous process. I'm off missions for the next six months at least because of this!" She sounded irritated but she couldn't keep the smile off her face, so neither male took her too seriously.

Anko, having grown used to being treated a little coldly after her return from Orochimaru, was still somewhat uncharacteristically bashful at Iruka's kindness. Even though she had had nearly three years to grow accustomed to it.

_What a strange couple_, Naruto thought. _They seem to get along okay, though. Unlike me and Sasuke._

"Heh, I kind of wish I could have a kid of my own someday," Naruto confessed, tucking his arms behind his head. "Though I doubt Sasuke's in any hurry to get knocked up."

Though they all laughed at the idea, Iruka's keen observational skills detected a small note of sadness in the blonde's tone. Naruto _did_ love kids.

"Well, there's always adoption," Iruka suggested. "There are always orphans in need of a home in a shinobi village, after all."

Iruka had apparently said the right thing as Naruto visibly brightened at the mention of helping an orphan.

"Alright, I want to eat!" Anko injected. "I've been craving ramen _all day_."

With that she entered Ichiraku's, the curtain falling behind her as she reached out to steady herself on the counter.

"I'll talk to you soon, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called happily as the teacher moved to follow her.

Naruto smiled at the wispy clouds lolling about the sky as he walked down the street, content because of his meal and still thinking about how strange and wonderful babies were.

As such, he nearly missed the startled gasp.

"Gah!"

He looked around him, taking in the empty street with a frown. Taking a few more steps forward, he stuck his head around the corner of the wooden fence lining the path and was met with a pair of red Inuzuka tattoos and a pair of white Hyuuga eyes.

"Hey, Hinata! Whatcha hiding here for?" He asked loudly.

_Oh no, oh, what do I do? I'm not ready for this. I haven't talked to him in three years, what do I say?_ She thought anxiously, biting her lip at his close proximity to her face and knowing it would be a little inappropriate to just flat-out faint.

His eyes flickered to the dark seal on her chest under the mesh shirt and she automatically covered it with her left hand.

"I-I u-um," she stuttered out, the colour of her face threatening to drown out her facial markings.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

She thought that she really wasn't and shook her head.

"I-I have t-to go," she muttered, running past the utterly confused Naruto as both her hands came up to press into her burning face.

_I still can't even talk to him,_ she thought miserably, her heart aching.

Tears blurred her eyesight and she wiped her cheeks, not looking behind her as she ran from the person that embodied not only everything she couldn't have, but everything she couldn't be.

* * *

The sun was very low in the sky and turning a juicy orange-gold when Naruto found himself making his way up the stairs to Sasuke's, no, _their_ apartment. He fished around for his key so that by the time he got to the front door, he only had to stand there searching for it for another minute or so. He pulled it out, liking the way it glinted in the early evening light, and then realised the door was unlocked.

Naruto scowled and tucked the key back into his pocket, figuring Sasuke was already home and just waiting to make fun of him for not noticing the door's status sooner. He pushed open the door and kicked it behind him as he entered. The room was much darker than the bright outdoor corridor he had just left and Naruto's sight had hardly adjusted when a familiar pair of hands grabbed two fistfuls of the front of his jacket and slammed him back into the closed door.

_Is Sasuke still pissed off about this afternoon? Is he actually going to kill me? Should I bring up cooking really quickly?_ Naruto thought for a frantic few seconds while his hands groped around in the dark, finally coming to grip Sasuke's wrists. He felt Sasuke's weight shift more forward and one of the hands fisted in his jacket released its hold in favour of sliding almost sensuously up over his shoulder.

Naruto's train of thought screeched to a halt. And then cautiously began to go in reverse. He heard Sasuke's fingernails lightly scrape the door behind his shoulder.

"Sasuke..." Naruto started to say, his voice seeming far too loud in the hush of the room. His eyes had adjusted to the dim room well enough that he could make out the pair of dark eyes watching him carefully.

He couldn't see the blush painted across the Uchiha's cheeks as Sasuke's thoughts sharply went in the direction of his shower that morning.

"Just...shut up," Sasuke muttered.

He leaned in and their lips brushed briefly. And then their mouths met, open and unresisting, both sets of eyes firmly sliding shut almost involuntarily. There was a pause where they just stood there with their lips together and their eyes closed, just breathing in the scent of the other and discovering the feel of the soft and hard angles inside each other's mouths.

Sasuke's grip relaxed from an attack into a hold aimed more at keeping Naruto's body as close to his as possible. A hum of lust ran through both boys' bodies but as Naruto ensconced himself in his teammate's embrace, he sensed something else too.

After a beat, the dark-haired teen drew back with a small breath.

"You're not a monster," he whispered into Naruto's mouth.

"You're not like your brother," Naruto whispered back.

Sasuke had forgotten how to give apologies and Naruto had never quite learned how to receive them. But one thing they both understood was physical action and the way they touched each other.

So their intimate, messy dance continued.

Sasuke's fingers curled around Naruto's neck and he drew the jinchuuriki closer until their lips met again fervently. As Sasuke pushed the blonde's hitaeite up and off, he tilted his rival's head back to gain deeper access to his mouth. In response, Naruto's tongue impatiently shot forward to glide roughly against Sasuke's own. The forehead protector was dropped to the side, already forgotten.

Naruto clutched at Sasuke's shoulders and his hips and his ass, and the dark-haired ninja didn't want the feeling of those hands on him and those lips on his to stop. The rough caresses felt so good to Sasuke's overheated form. They melded their bodies as close as possible and the heat coursing through them spiked when their hard erections aligned.

Naruto unhurriedly pulled back and met Sasuke's gaze hotly. With their panting breaths intermingling, he pressed the palm of his hand against the base of Sasuke's stomach and moved it upwards with agonizing slowness, lifting the white shirt up as he went.

The warm, calloused hand stroking up the lines of his abdominal muscles was quickly liquidating Sasuke's brain and his entire world was zeroed in on the sensation.

But regardless of how good it felt, he knew what Naruto was doing: being cautious and giving Sasuke ample time to shove him away. He snorted, finished pulling his shirt off by himself, and then slid a knee between Naruto's legs to keep him in place against the door while he dragged down the zipper on the orange and black jacket.

Naruto groaned in the back of his throat and pressed himself into the delicious contact Sasuke's thigh was making against his groin. Sasuke shuddered at Naruto's small thrusts against him and shoved the jacket off over the blonde's shoulders before letting it drop to the floor. He then tugged his rival's shirt over his head in a much more hurried fashion than his had come off. His only thoughts were on eliminating the layers of fabric between him and the blonde.

With both shirts out of the way, their mouths met again hungrily. Meanwhile hands stroked abs and thumbs found nipples, and one of Sasuke's hands coasted south to teasingly run over the impressive bulge in those orange pants. He then manoeuvred Naruto's tongue into his mouth and sucked it. Hard.

Naruto's knees outright buckled.

Sasuke half caught him and they both slid slowly down the door, mouths still clasped together while they happily explored the delightful way their legs were now entwined. Naruto's back was still pressed against the door and he found to some annoyance that his rival had landed mostly on top of him.

But before he could complain, Sasuke's knees slid off the sides of both his thighs so that they rested on the floor and his groin was suddenly pressing into Naruto's. The blonde shoved his hips upwards and groaned as he felt Sasuke's hardness meet his own through their layers of clothes. Sasuke pressed a hand into the wall beside Naruto's head and ground his hips down in reply.

"Nngh, Sasuke..." Naruto choked out through the intense sensations.

He felt Naruto's hands run up his bare chest and grip his exposed shoulders. Nails dug into his pale skin and the tiny pinpricks of pain only made his arousal harder. They continued to rock against one another until Naruto arched under him, shifting their entire combined centre of gravity.

Sasuke's eyes opened in surprise and his hand returned to the nape of Naruto's neck for balance as his team mate tipped him backwards. There was a brief second where their kiss broke when Naruto had to make sure they didn't land too heavily. Then the hardwood floor was uncomfortably cool against the overheated flesh of Sasuke's back, but then Naruto was straddling him and it didn't matter.

Naruto leaned forward, his arms coming to rest on either side of his rival's dark head as he sank down into another pulse-racing kiss. Sasuke's hands gripped the blonde's biceps lustfully.

Naruto pressed every inch of himself down into his team mate and was rewarded with a rather loud, masculine groan Sasuke could hardly believe came from him. Through their remaining clothes, Naruto could tell that Sasuke was throbbing hard. The thrill of knowing he was causing that made him shudder slightly and he kissed Sasuke until he had the dark-haired teen squirming underneath him.

His mind still melting from the intimate contact, Sasuke found himself instinctively lifting a leg and hooking it around Naruto's waist, pulling the blonde down harder against himself with each thrust. Naruto gasped harshly into the other's mouth as the friction between them sharply increased.

Sasuke's hand was suddenly between their grinding bodies, undoing the button and rasping down the zipper of Naruto's fly. And then a calloused hand was palming his hard erection. Naruto's flushed forehead dropped onto a pale shoulder in exquisite relief as Sasuke's thumb stroked down the hard length before swirling languidly around the wet tip.

A low moan of pleasure escaped him and every part of him was absolutely melting into the movement of Sasuke's hand. The waistband of his boxers and pants slipped further down and out of their way.

Naruto was digging his nails into the hardwood floor and Sasuke felt the blonde's breaths grow more ragged against his neck in accordance to how fast his hand pumped. Naruto was still lying between his spread legs and their groins were still precariously close. This meant that on his hand's every upstroke of Naruto's straining cock, his wrist grazed his own bulge ever so slightly. That light contact combined with the lustful sounds coming from Naruto's lips only served to feed the fire boiling in his gut.

When Naruto's hips began thrusting more insistently, Sasuke licked his lips, placed his mouth on the sensitive skin below Naruto's ear and--like he'd done with his rival's tongue earlier--sucked. _Hard_.

"Ga-ah-AHHH!" Naruto cried, lurching into the muscular body of his team mate, trying to press himself further into the luscious ministrations of Sasuke's hands and mouth as his cum shot across the dark-haired teen's toned stomach.

Sasuke swiped his tongue one last time across the light red hickey forming below the blonde's ear and then slowly disengaged his sticky fingers from his husband's cock. His nose crinkled slightly at the feel of it.

Then Naruto shifted where he lay on top of him and the unexpected friction against his clothed erection ripped a needy moan from Sasuke's throat. Blond hair tickled his cheek for a second and then soft lips were back on his own. Naruto lifted shifted his weight onto his knees while his mouth sucked and nipped Sasuke's unresisting lips. His hand trailed down Sasuke's torso to quickly undo the dark shorts and push them not only out of the way, but all the way down those pale thighs. Sasuke blinked in surprise but let Naruto pull his boxers and shorts completely off.

It was a good thing he'd already stripped off the protective wrappings on his legs, Sasuke thought. He might look a bit odd being completely naked save his shins.

The warm air of the room bathed his heated body completely and the dark-haired teen didn't have time to consider that he'd never been so exposed in another person's presence before when an open-mouthed kiss was pressed hotly into the soft flesh of his inner thigh.

"Naruto!" He gasped, his voice raw with need. He attempted to get enough air into his lungs while a reminder of the morning's fantasy came back to him.

He felt Naruto grin obnoxiously into his leg and then another kiss was planted wetly a little higher up. Sasuke's toes curled as Naruto's mouth steadily blazed a trail closer to the part that wanted the contact most.

Suddenly, a tongue ran down the underside of Sasuke's hard length and his hips actually lifted off the floor. The blonde curiously suckled its end, which was dewy with pre-cum, and then splayed a hand on each of his rival's muscular thighs before dropping his head down and taking Sasuke in as far as he could.

"God!" Sasuke groaned loudly as Naruto began to suck and lick ardently, bobbing his head up and down the length of cock in his mouth.

He experimentally swallowed around the shaft a few times and Sasuke's hands threaded their way into blonde hair desperately.

This was better than anything he could've imagined by himself. The warm, wet mouth running over his manhood was driving him to incoherency and it wasn't long before he felt his balls tighten. His dark head thumped the floor as ecstasy suddenly sang through his nerves.

His knees crooked and his hips bucked up involuntarily. And Sasuke managed to choke out Naruto's name before coming violently in the blonde's mouth.

Naruto gagged slightly but he swallowed. He pulled back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, taking in the sated form of his rival with some smugness. Exhausted and satiated himself, he languidly crawled forward and slumped down comfortably on the floor at Sasuke's side.

The blonde tipped himself sideways a little and pressed a slow kiss into the pale, cooling skin of Sasuke's shoulder. When he opened his eyes, he found Sasuke watching him, a small smile lying uninhibited on his face for the first time in Naruto's memory.

The Kyuubi vessel soaked in the sight, liking the way his husband looked after orgasm. After a long pause, he mumbled tiredly:

"We should try to get to the bed..."

Sasuke held his gaze unabashedly.

"...few more minutes."

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Sorry for the wait, hopefully the length of the chapter and the smut will make up for a little bit. ;)

Thanks so so so much to **naruto14**, **VescaWithoutWings**, **FREAKSHOW1**, **bea-chan**, **Boejangles**, **KunochiDreamer**, **SelfProclaimed Genius-san**, **Jess Anime**, **Shaay**, **Sera Luanma**, **Lazy-Hime**, **asylum-bound**, **cutsycat**, and **Phantomsnow**!

**Gonrie** – Maybe I meant that. ;) You'll have to wait and see.

**Alley-Oop** – Your reviews always inspire me so much. Thanks and lots more thanks. I'll see what I can do about the fluff.

**KaiPhoenix** – Heh, gotta wait and see!

**Endless****Snow** – Wow, thanks so much! As of where I'm taking the story at this point, Sai probably won't be making an entrance. And I'm still working out my Akatsuki issues, so we'll both have to see how that goes. ;)

-Ms Trick


	13. Track 13

**Sealed  
XIII**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 13

Hinata sat with her legs under her on the stone steps at the back of the main Inuzuka house. They were cool against her skin. She listened to the howling laughter and barks of her clan mates as Kiba and Hana played some of their cousins in cards in the kitchen. The light filtering through the window shade cast her small shadow in front of her. Aside from the light around her silhouette, the rest of the grounds had melted into the dark, humid night.

She stared glumly at her feet and her hands, wishing Kiba would come find her. It had been an uncomfortable evening. Neither had said much during dinner, earning them both a curious look from Hana and a rolling of the eyes from Haekoe, who muttered something about teenagers and their issues, while Hinata ate, feeling small and guilty, and Kiba only met the eyes of Akamaru.

Hinata sighed and picked herself off the uncomfortable ground. Kiba wouldn't be in the mood to try and talk this through until tomorrow at least, she knew. She stretched and meandered out to the path running through the large fields, which had lost their spring blossoms and were now filled with thick, green summer foliage.

She followed the path, lost in thought, the darkness unthreatening as it always had been because of her keen eyes. She cynically mused on the irony of how she could wear the Inuzuka markings on her face with pride but she couldn't change her eyes. There was only so far she could improve her sense of smell and she got along instantly with any dog she met but she'd never be able to understand their speech. She would never fully be an Inuzuka no matter what she did.

Hinata found herself at the foot of the bridge she had helped build over three years ago, where her entire life had changed. She eyed it, remembering that day. Then she caught a flash of movement and immediately berated herself for allowing herself to become so distracted.

She looked at the four figures surrounding her and her instincts screamed _enemies_.

"W-who are you?" She asked, trying to fight away her stutter. She activated her bloodline without waiting for an answer and centred her weight on the balls of her feet.

She half-listened as they introduced themselves as the Four Sounds and gave their names. She was too busy utilizing her ability and studying the details about them: the Sound note emblazoned on their headbands, the flute secured at the back of the girl's hip, how one fighter was actually two melded together judging by the twin chakra systems. She searched for clues as to their fighting styles but wasn't given more than a few seconds.

The introductions were done and she was under attack.

* * *

Naruto lay comfortable and boneless with his naked back against the headboard while Sasuke and some of the blanket lay sprawled across his lap. The dark-haired teen had his arms folded under his chin and his eyes closed but he was far from sleep.

"Well, Shikamaru could just hit you with a shadow and then undress himself," Naruto said thoughtfully.

His rival gave a small snort from where he was resting on the blonde's thighs but he didn't open his eyes. "Shikamaru likes girls. He'd have to put a bra on beforehand and _then_ perform the jutsu and undress himself."

Naruto laughed and Sasuke could feel the vibrations through the teen's body.

"And I bet Gaara could do some kinky stuff with sand," Naruto added mirthfully.

"Don't even go into the Hyuugas," Sasuke mumbled.

"What? Why?"

"Naruto, they can see through things."

"What does that have to do with...oh, like they could see through shower curtains."

"And bedroom walls. And clothes. And bathhouses."

A startled look came over Naruto's face and Sasuke glanced up at his husband's form, which was illuminated somewhat by several beams of moonlight pouring in from the balcony doors. It was barely midnight.

"Ack! I'll never be able to talk to Neji again!" Naruto yelped. "Or Hinata."

The memory of the girl's skittish, depressed manner that afternoon came back to him and his expression grew serious. His eyes sought out the seal on Sasuke's wintry skin but it was on his other side and blocked from Naruto's view.

"Hey, how's Hinata doing? Y'know with Orochimaru's seal and all?"

Sasuke stiffened slightly, his eyes closing again. "Fine. Why wouldn't she be? Why would she need power?"

"You don't think she'll go to Orochimaru?"

The dark-haired teen was silent for a minute, debating and hesitating over whether now was the time to tell Naruto everything. Instead, to his own disgust, he copped out and merely said, "Probably not. But she might--she _is_ weak. People are complicated things."

"I kind of want to go check on her and make sure she's okay. It's not _too_ late and she seemed really upset this afternoon."

Naruto found himself under Sasuke's patented apathetic gaze. He tried to read the emotion in those dark eyes but was met with a wall.

"Do what you like," Sasuke finally said in a bored tone.

He moved from his comfortable position on Naruto's thighs and rolled over, turning his pale back to his bed mate. He listened as Naruto shuffled out of the bed and scrounge around for his boxers and orange pants before leaving the bedroom.

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he glanced around the apartment's kitchen/living room area in what little light there was. He couldn't remember where the light switch was for the life of him and he had absolutely no idea where Sasuke had managed to throw his black shirt, his jacket, or his forehead protector during their earlier activities. A rumpled blob of white near the wall by the door caught his eye and he recognised it as the shirt he'd stripped off his rival.

Naruto fought back the heat rising to his cheeks at the scalding memory of what it had felt like running his hand up Sasuke's muscled abdomen and made his way over to the shirt. He picked it up and pulled it on over his head as he stumbled towards the front door in the dark, nearly tripping over his sandals as he did so. He grimaced at the tightness of the shirt; his shoulders were a little broader than Sasuke's.

_At least he doesn't have the massive Uchiha fan in the centre of the back anymore,_ Naruto thought. _That would be too embarrassing._

* * *

Hinata ran a finger over the edge of a picture frame on her large windowsill, watching the moonlight play over the faces in the two photos she kept there. One was Team 8's standard picture from when they were twelve and the other was one that made her smile every time she looked at it. It was of her and Kiba on their wedding day.

She sighed sadly and shifted under the straps of the pack on her back, recollections of the earlier fight swimming through her head.

She had lost. Even after she had given in to temptation and accessed Orochimaru's seal. The sensation of it gliding over her skin had almost been like silk. But it didn't matter, she thought, remembering the smirking faces of the four Sound shinobi as their own seals spread across their bodies. With a humiliated flush, she remembered being dangled over the water's surface, wondering why she had lost so badly while the one who'd introduced himself as Sakon tightened his grip around her ankle.

With his words bouncing around her skull, she quietly slipped out of her room, past Kiba's door, and down the stairs.

_What would Orochimaru-sama want with a weakling like _her_? Heh, keep playing the housewife and you'll rot. Listen princess, you won't be anything but less than ordinary unless you leave this shitty town._

_Come with us_, the flute-player had said. _That way Orochimaru-sama will give you strength. It's pointless if we force you to come. You must decide._

Hinata had disguised her injuries as best as possible when she'd returned to the house after her walk. Her ribs were still a little sore, though thankfully not broken. Now, she took no notice of the pain as she slipped out the front door, still thinking of the two photographs in her room. She had placed their team photo face down but had left the one of her and Kiba standing.

She'd come back to Kiba someday, if he'd have her. She would never hurt him and was as loyal as any Inuzuka. But this departure was for herself. She would need strength if she was going to be worth anything to herself or her husband. And if Konoha wouldn't let her reach her full power, maybe Sound would.

Hinata wasn't sure how many of these thoughts were of her own conclusions and how many stemmed from what the Four Sounds had told her. But it made sense regardless.

Her train of thought from earlier on not being fully Inuzuka and not being fully Hyuuga came back to her then. Her clansmen and their canines couldn't train her to use her bloodline to the best of her ability and her father had made it abundantly clear that the Hyuugas would be unwilling to do so past the friendly sparring with Neji.

She frowned as she recalled how the unfairness of her position had been fully bared to her thanks to the four Sound ninja. They were right. How was she supposed to grow as a ninja at all? Was she supposed to just allow herself to improve only marginally for her entire life?

Her footsteps made a small, hushed sound on the dark street and for a long time that was the only noise. The streets were mostly deserted and she stuck to the shadows until she reached the road leading directly out of the village.

"Hinata-chan!" A voice suddenly called loudly.

Her heart clenched. She stopped walking and slowly, silently turned to face the familiar figure.

Naruto's grin turned to a confused frown as he noted the backpack and her sullen gaze. "I was actually just going to go and look for you and make sure you were okay but then I saw you here."

She didn't respond. Her white eyes were focused on him but unnaturally blank.

Naruto proceeded to launch into a long talk about why she couldn't leave the village and how everyone loved her even though she was quiet and how Kiba would be really upset.

Perhaps his talk would have succeeded once. But as he stood in front of her in Sasuke's shirt with his hair still mussed from sex that even her weak nose could pick up, Hinata couldn't listen. Her mind was quiet and she reconfirmed that no, she could never have him. He was offering her reasons to stay but none were ones she wanted to hear.

"You _can't_ leave, Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled.

The wind whistled through, tossing her long black hair around her and tangling Naruto's further. She approached him slowly and his smile cautiously returned to his face. His eyes were still on hers though and their eerie stare hadn't diminished at all.

"Naruto-kun..." She said softly. "Thank you."

With a sudden burst of movement she shot forward and slammed a chakra-enforced palm into his solar plexus. A hushed cry of "Jyuuken!" met Naruto's ears and then the world faded to blurs. And then to black.

Hinata caught the unconscious blond teen awkwardly as he was much heavier than her and she hurriedly heaved him onto a nearby bench. She left him with an apology he couldn't hear and her forehead protector as an afterthought. Her neck felt a little cool without it but she walked away with her nerves steady.

_In order to gain something, you must throw something away._ Isn't that what Tayuya had said?

As she left, Naruto lay unaware on his back on the hard bench with the forehead protector folded neatly beside his head, where Sasuke would find him nearly two and a half hours later.

* * *

Temari finished stirring sugar into Sakura's tea and dropped the spoon onto the counter. She picked up the two cups and walked from the yellow kitchen to the bedroom, where the pink-haired girl was sitting on the bed in her nightdress with her knees pulled up to her chest.

Temari held out her tea and Sakura reached to take it.

"Thanks. Um...is there--"

"There's sugar in it," Temari confirmed absently as she crawled back into her half of the bed, being careful not to spill her own drink.

She got comfortable and took a sip, then glanced sideways at Sakura and let out a small, exasperated sigh.

"Still feeling crazy guilty? Knock it off, you couldn't have known," the older girl said, tucking a strand of recalcitrant dirty blonde hair behind her ears. Sheesh, if she'd had known she'd be up this late, she'd have left her pigtails in.

Sakura sank a melancholy gaze into her unsuspecting tea. "Sorry. I just...remember how awful the townspeople were to him. And I never thought to question it. I just...drank in that atmosphere completely and I let it influence my opinion of him before I ever really got to know him. That wasn't fair of me."

"Naruto doesn't hold anything against you, you know that," Temari said tiredly between sips and small gulps.

"I just...maybe I would have been a better friend or maybe he wouldn't have annoyed me so much."

Temari snorted into her drink and Sakura gave her a dirty look. When the older girl noticed it, she smiled, put her cup on the table and turned to fully face her wife.

"I'm only going to say this once," Temari warned, crossing her legs and putting her hands on her knees like a wise woman about to impart precious information. She fixed her sea green eyes on the pink-haired girl and said, "Naruto is VERY annoying and that has NOTHING to do with the giant demon fox sealed inside him. You are ALLOWED get pissed off at him for making stupid remarks and you CAN be annoyed at him for marrying the boy you wanted."

Sakura's grip tightened and a hairline crack appeared up the side of the tea cup. Temari smirked at her.

"Naruto is Naruto and you have always treated him as such, from what I've seen. The poor-me, poor-Naruto, poor-world act is getting really boring. Now shut up and let me go to sleep."

And Sakura found herself in sudden darkness; Temari had flicked off the light.

* * *

"We've been waiting, Hinata-sama."

She looked up, though was used to the moniker thanks to her childhood in the Hyuuga main house and so was unbothered by it. With Konoha sleeping below and behind her, she stopped, faced with the bowing figures of the four Sound ninja.

She frowned, unsettled by their sudden submission.

"What are you plotting now?" She asked, pleased that she hadn't stuttered.

"When you left the village, it was decided that you would become our leader. Please forgive our rudeness earlier."

Hinata's eyes widened slightly as they bowed their heads lower.

"It's f-fine. Let's just go," she said, hurriedly walking through their line, her eyes on the looming forest ahead.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Thanks SO MUCH to **Boejangles**, **KunochiDreamer**, **Gonrie**, **wittyying**, **bea-chan**, **VescaWithoutWings**, **Hotaru-ai**, **naruto14**, **Jess Anime**, **asylum-bound**, **Clemen**, **Lazy-Hime**, **NaRuKo77**, **Black Insanity**, **FREAKSHOW1**, **rascality**, **kayfoxmoon**, **Kitsune Onna1**, **jhonni**, **Sesshygirl**, **Zoomi**, and **Muffin234**.

**Write Me No Lies** – Thanks so much for the wonderful long review! I was really happy with the very end of the last chapter too. I'm glad you liked it.

**Alley-Oop** – Sorry for the delayed updates--finals, papers, blah blah blah. But my semester ended May 22 so now I'll have loads of time to write!

**NejisxnxKyoswife** – Thank you for taking the time to review every chapter! That was really awesome of you!

**Stalker-san** – I love curious questions:) Even so, you'll have to wait and see. Heh, thanks for reviewing!

Sorry for the delay! I'm too lazy these days.

-Ms Trick


	14. Track 14

**Sealed  
XIV**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 14

After only three full hours of sleep and change, Sasuke was wide awake again, staring into space as the room got lighter by snail-paced degrees. Pressed into Sasuke's side, Naruto was lightly snoring, his unconscious body happily sprawled out and taking up as much of the bed possible.

Last night, after finding the blonde passed out on a bench, Sasuke hadn't bothered attempting to wake him and had ended up just carrying him home. He figured he could simply wait until morning to ask his rival for the story leading up to sleeping in a public place. As the room got a fraction of a shade brighter, Sasuke noticed that the forehead protector he had placed on the nightstand wasn't Naruto's as he'd assumed. Unlike the blonde's well-loved one, there were no scratches on this forehead protector, a detail that had gone unnoticed in the dark.

A sleep-slurred murmur drew his attention back to the other male and Sasuke leisurely rolled onto his side to face him. Their noses were now a scant few inches apart. Slowly, almost shyly, Sasuke began closing the distance. He was abruptly thwarted when Naruto twisted away to swat absently at something seen in his dreams. Sasuke blinked and turned to stare at the ceiling. Annoyed with himself, he sat up and rested his elbows on his knees.

He felt the keen edge of impatience press into him. Waiting for his brother to come to him had never been part of his machinations of revenge, but it seemed that's how things had turned out. Itachi would come for Naruto--that was a guarantee. One that Sasuke planned to take full advantage of.

Naruto chose that moment to turn over to again escape from an imaginary something or other and promptly rolled into Sasuke's sitting form.

Sasuke was drawn out of his thoughts as Naruto resprawled out, this time with an arm coming to rest against the back of Sasuke's waist. The sudden band of warmth above the waist of his boxers sent a tingle up the ladder of Sasuke's spine. The dark-haired teen resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his body's enthusiastic reaction. He felt like yelling at it: "I _know_ I'm attracted to Naruto. You can stop constantly reminding me!"

Regardless, he found his attention glued to the muscular body spread out next to him and debated how guilty he'd feel indulging in his physical desires knowing that Naruto would feel betrayed later if or when he learned Sasuke was using him as bait.

The bed sheet had been thoroughly and completely kicked to the foot of the bed by Naruto's vivacious sleeping self but the morning was a warm one, so Sasuke didn't mind too much. He reached out and let his hand hover, tempted, over Naruto's abs.

The concept of future guilt dissipated like steam and first Sasuke's fingers, then his palm ghosted down to rest on the taut stomach. He began a slow upwards stroke, smoothing his calloused hand over the ridges and planes of Naruto's stomach and chest. His thumb rubbed over a nipple before his hand's caress grew so gentle that only his fingertips feathered over the blonde's sensitive neck.

Sasuke noted with a measure of satisfaction that as his hand glided back down Naruto was beginning to follow and lean into his mildly rough touch. He smirked and casually twisted into a position that allowed him to place both hands on Naruto's stomach. Then he stroked back upwards and his somewhat coarse palms trailed tantalizingly over his rival's nipples again.

Naruto let out a short pant and lightly arched into the touches like a purring cat getting its fur stroked. Though half-awake by now, he still had his eyes closed. Sasuke's hands disappeared off his skin for a moment and, suddenly missing their warmth, he foggily wondered why. He felt what had to be Sasuke's knee graze across his lower stomach horizontally and then felt the weight of the other teen gently settling onto him in a straddle.

Naruto's eyes opened a crack and he gazed up at Sasuke blearily. He identified a somewhat blurry, mischievous smirk as Sasuke's face hovered over his. The blonde blinked in sleepy confusion when the dark-haired teen's mouth didn't meet his own lips as he had assumed, instead dropping down to sink an open-mouthed kiss in the hollow of his throat.

Another pant escaped Naruto's lips and Sasuke's new position let him know _exactly_ how much his rival was enjoying this. With only their boxers between them, Sasuke could feel Naruto's hardening erection pushing into his backside as his mouth inflicted sizzling nips and licks and kisses to the blonde's neck.

Naruto whimpered slightly as Sasuke's mouth wandered down across his chest to a nipple. A rough tongue swiped over it and Sasuke suddenly felt two hands groggily tangle into his already sleep-tangled hair.

Sasuke dragged his nails lightly down Naruto's sides while his mouth lavished attention on the other nipple and then slowly started making its way further south. Naruto squirmed and writhed under him deliciously, and Sasuke shifted backwards so that he was now resting his weight on the blonde's thighs while he bent over his torso. Naruto's erection was now pressing needily against his chest.

A warm, wet tongue dipped into Naruto's bellybutton and his back arched up into the contact. Sasuke felt a small tremor run through the hands in his hair and he slid his thumbs into Naruto's boxers before dragging them down just far enough.

"Sa-sasuke," the jinchuuriki said through an unsteady breath as the fabric slid over and off his hard length.

New at this, the dark-haired teen licked his lips and recalled what Naruto had done the previous afternoon. Remembering his own instinctive bucking, he splayed his hands just below his rival's hips and dipped his head to take Naruto's straining length in his mouth.

The blonde moaned at the unexpected heat engulfing him and in want of more, as anticipated, he automatically tried to thrust into it. But the pressure of Sasuke's hands on his waist and Sasuke's body on his thighs forced Naruto to lie prone while Sasuke's mouth swallowed around and delectably sucked his manhood.

Naruto grit his teeth at his inability to properly squirm in pleasure and his hands gripped dark hair tight. Rough, leisurely strokes of Sasuke's tongue down the entire shaft and firm sucking at the head were driving him crazy. His head thumped heavily into the pillow and he gulped thickly as a warm hand ran over, caressed, and then firmly cupped his balls.

Sasuke's mouth and hand languidly continued their ministrations and he sensed the approach of the blonde's climax in the short grunts and pants escaping from him unchecked. A choked gasp was heard, the muscles of the entire tan body writhing beneath him all tensed at once, and then Sasuke felt a succession of creamy spurts hitting the back of his throat.

He made a small sound of discomfort but figured if Naruto could swallow, so could he.

A bone-deep sigh escaped Naruto as Sasuke calmly drew back and hands gently slid out of that dark hair. Wide-awake now, he energetically sat up and caught Sasuke's mouth in a long, deep kiss that contained emotions Sasuke wasn't sure he should be allowing himself to get lost in. But it was so hard to stop himself. Naruto's hand was cupping the back of his neck possessively and it was making Sasuke melt.

They pulled back sluggishly. Suddenly, the grip on the back of Sasuke's neck tightened in obvious alarm.

"GAH! Hinata's gone! I have to tell the Hokage!" Naruto just about shrieked.

Sasuke frowned in confusion at the sudden volume of and the apprehension in the blonde's voice. Panicked, Naruto gracelessly tumbled out of the bed and scrambled towards the door, only stopping suddenly when a voice dully said, "Dobe."

"What?!"

"Get dressed first."

* * *

"Shikamaru! You have to have more than a cup of coffee for breakfast! You've got a mission!" Ino admonished, her voice far too shrill for Shikamaru's preference this early in the morning.

That mission was the only reason he was awake this early, otherwise he'd be happily snoozing until noon. From his slumped position at the table, he sleepily peered over his steaming coffee at his glaring wife, who was standing with one hand on her hip. The other was holding a plate of toast. As she approached the table to set it down, a wince crossed her face.

"Ino? You okay?"

She absently rubbed at the thick bandaging around her right wrist and gave him a smile. The sprained wrist and the nearly fractured shin were mementos from her last mission. Though they were merely what remained of much worse wounds after a medic-nin's healing. The mission was a reoccurring one for her. Every few months or so she'd be called away to play the double of a Rice Country (1) princess she was apparently the spitting image of. She usually had very little trouble on those missions though this last time there had been an unanticipated assassination attempt.

The doorbell rang and Shikamaru quickly set his coffee down.

"I'll get it."

She snorted and put her good hand on his shoulder, pushing him back into his seat. "I've got it, I've got it," she scoffed at him as she left the room.

He eyed her shin, which was wrapped in bandages instead of the usual mesh piece, noting gladly that her limp was better than yesterday. After a pause, her voice called to him from the front hall.

"Shikamaru, messengers from the Fifth are here to see you."

* * *

Not too much later, Shikamaru found himself at attention in front of the Hokage's desk, the windows around them full of grey, early morning light.

"You won't be going on your scheduled mission today. You're needed elsewhere," Tsunade said, bypassing any greetings. She looked tired. "Late last night, Inuzuka Hinata left the village. We have reason to believe she is heading to Otogakure."

"Left? Why?" Shikamaru asked in surprise, a deep frown settling on his features.

"Orochimaru lured her. Why else?"

"For the same reason he wanted Sasuke?"

"Supposedly. But that's not the issue at hand. We don't have time to lose."

"A retrieval mission?" Shikamaru guessed, wondering how many of his comrades he would possibly need to capture the usually meek Hinata. If she was alone, he would probably require only one shinobi as back-up.

"This mission needs to be completed quickly, as you know, but there could be some trouble. Unlike before, there is a high possibility that Orochimaru's subordinates are guiding Hinata."

Shikamaru frowned again. He weighed these complications while in the back of his mind, he mulled over how he'd always thought of Hinata as a kind, reliable person.

"I can't spare you any jounin or most of the chuunin because of the enhanced state of village security. So in the next thirty minutes, gather whatever ninja from your age group you can find and set off on your mission."

Shikamaru's face was stone serious as he turned to exit her office. He paused before he got to the door and looked back at the Hokage.

"I'll do what I can."

She scrutinized him for a second and then said.

"Take both the Uchiha-Uzumakis."

Shikamaru hesitated. Tsunade noticed.

"Both of them?" He asked.

Tsunade's honey-coloured eyes narrowed slightly. "Sasuke has earned this trust, Shikamaru. He's an asset we can't afford not to use right now."

The chuunin gave a short nod and instead of a 'Good Luck!' the Godaime said, "I'll send on others once I find them. And for god's sake, be on alert for the fucking Akatsuki."

* * *

"Back already?" Ino chirped, munching on some toast.

"Need to grab supplies and then head out. I've been assigned an immediate pursuit mission. Damn, I'm out of exploding tags."

"Take mine," she said, obligingly emptying her pack onto the table.

"Thanks," he said, taking as much as he could carry.

She watched him keenly, knowing better than to drill him for mission details right now, and then simply told him to be careful. He paused in his hurried activity and leaned over the wooden kitchen table to brush a kiss onto her lips.

"I bet I taste like toast," she mumbled as he pulled back.

He met her light blue eyes and affectionately smiled.

"Goodbye Nara Ino," he said in a playful monotone as he speedily made to exit.

"Don't die," she called.

"Whatever you say."

"I'm serious!!"

* * *

The morning air was warm but crisp as it rushed by their ears and the weighty humidity that bogged down Konoha's warmer seasons had yet to gather though the sun was already sitting on the horizon.

Shikamaru barely registered the weather as he jogged along the familiar paths that would lead them out of the village. He explained the mission over his shoulder to Chouji, Naruto, and Sasuke above the sounds of their sandals slapping the cobblestones.

"Shikamaru, are we bringing anyone else?" Naruto injected when Shikamaru paused for a breath.

"I want to but we're running out of time. If we don't meet anybody by the time we reach the village gate, then this will be i--"

He was cut off as they turned a corner and Naruto nearly ploughed straight into Neji (who had the reflexes to sidestep the impending collision). In an attempt to stop and avoid at the same time, Naruto managed to trip over absolutely nothing and landed with a crash on the footpath.

"...ow," he grumbled.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Usuratonkachi."

Shikamaru hesitated for a split second before concluding that Neji would probably be a benefit to their mission despite his personal connection to Hinata. As Naruto clambered back to his feet and Sasuke brushed some dirt off his entirely black ensemble, Shikamaru summarised the situation to the jounin as succinctly as possible.

Neji's face remained an impenetrable blank the entire time and when Shikamaru was done, all he said was, "I see." But he agreed to come.

"Just don't do a repeat of that chuunin exam," Naruto muttered as they continued their unprecedented morning jog.

Neji's face remained a perfect blank, letting on no indication of whether or not Naruto had been heard. Nothing more was said until they suddenly found themselves in front of the towering entrance gates.

"Time's up," Shikamaru decreed gravely as the massive doors creaked open. "At least we have five people."

"Make it seven," a voice barked out. (2)

They all looked over, startled.

"Kiba." Neji stated.

Kiba stood there looking ragged, Akamaru at his side. There was a pregnant pause and the morning seemed to still.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to take you on this mission," Shikamaru finally said, his eyes turning to the sky in his patented 'how did I get so deep in this mess so quickly?' look.

Kiba's red-rimmed eyes narrowed dangerously, his temper roiled inside him and his mouth became a grim diagonal line.

"But..." Shikamaru continued with a sigh. He slipped into the role of the team leader that had become so familiar to him over the last few years and turned his gaze to meet Kiba's. "I know you'll follow whether permitted to or not and that's bothersome...You will not be allowed act on your own terms and you will follow orders. Do you understand that it is possible we will have to use force to persuade Hinata to come back with us?"

Kiba's hands fisted and though he thought ardently that all he would need to do was talk to her, he answered affirmatively. He was still a shinobi.

"Would you be willing to fight her if it came down to it?"

"Yes," Kiba gritted out. "It's my fault she left. I'll do whatever it takes to get her back."

"It was her choice to leave." Shikamaru sighed again. "Maa, I'm still not sure it's a good idea. But we can always use another man."

A snort sounded from Akamaru and drew the chuunin's attention. "And a dog," Shikamaru amended.

Placated, the large dog pawed the ground. Naruto's blue eyes glinted warmly as he marvelled at the lazy teenager. It was becoming obvious that Team 7 hadn't been the only ninjas to grow over the last three years.

Kiba joined their circle as Shikamaru turned to address everyone. "Listen up. I'm not as close to Hinata as some of you. But she is a Konoha ninja."

Naruto gloomily thought of her forehead protector on their nightstand but didn't say anything.

"She is our comrade. And we will put our lives on the line to bring her back. That's what we do in Konoha," Shikamaru finished. He surreptitiously glanced at Sasuke and the corners of Sasuke's mouth quirked upwards.

He assumed Shikamaru had guessed (accurately) that Sasuke was wryly reminding himself that yes, he was a Leaf-nin too.

Neji appeared lost in thought and Kiba stared moodily into space while he absently stroked Akamaru's crown.

Why? Why hadn't he just forgiven her? Why had he lost his temper? He thought gloomily.

As Shikamaru concocted the most efficient formation for them to travel in to obviate the possibility of ambush, Kiba tucked his melancholy regrets away. It was time to reconcile them; lugubriousness was an outright distraction to a ninja. Especially seeing as his position in Shikamaru's line formation was the front.

His and Akamaru's noses made them prime frontrunners. Shikamaru put himself directly behind them to allow him easy communications with the rest of the line. Naruto and Sasuke were the two in the centre because their quick reactions would allow them to cover an attack from the front or the back. Then Chouji followed as second to last because he packed the biggest wallop and would act as a final blow. And assigning Neji the position of rear lookout was a no-brainer. Everyone knew his Hyuuga eyes could handle that best.

The sun climbed another step higher in the clear sky and far below it, six ninja and a nindog raced out to try and save a kunoichi from herself.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

(1) It was Rice Country, right? I couldn't find the episode.

(2) Just to clear up possible confusion, Kiba said "Make it seven" instead of "Make it six" because in the series Akamaru is always referred to as a team mate rather than Kiba's dog. So I just continued that attitude.

Thanks a million to **Alley-Oop**, **Lazy-Hime**, **Clemen**, **derawr**, **Kai'sgrl**, **coldfront**, **Gonrie**, **neofilly**, **Roz-chan **(and **Roz-chan's sister **too), **Muffin234**, **HoshitheHorse**, **Stalker-san**, **Tirra Lirra**, **Mrs.NarutoUzumaki**, **YumiAngel**, and **dustori**.

**FREAKSHOW1** – Hehe, your reviews always make me smile.

**asylum-bound** – Lemony enough for you? ;) Thanks so much for your warm comments!

**TimeForTea** – Love the name change. Well...maybe I just love tea. Thank you for the review!

**Kitsune Onna1** – Thank you for the, um, rather angry yet encouraging review. Lol. Hope breakfast/lunch/dinner was good!


	15. Track 15

**Sealed  
XV**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 15

The array of sneaky, snapping, tripping, exploding traps and ambushes that had had to be avoided left Hinata's seven pursuers with no illusions that their presence would be a surprise to the girl's escorts. It also let them know that the four Sound nin had to be resting.

The sun was now approaching its apogee, all traces of morning freshness vanishing into the hot sunlight. In a humid spot of shade hidden by a cluster of monstrous petunia bushes, Shikamaru casually sat on his heels while the rest of his team waited around him.

After a pause, Neji said, "I found them." His byakugen was activated and his was posture was rigid.

"Alright, alright! Let's bring Hinata back!" Naruto crowed.

"Don't rush it," Shikamaru intoned.

"Describe the Sound nins' appearances, Neji," Sasuke requested quietly.

There was another pause and then Neji said: "There are four of them: three male, one female. One male seems to have four arms, one appears to have two chakra systems, and the other is rather large in stature. The girl is sitting on a large barrel. I'm assuming Hinata-sama is encased within it."

Sasuke absorbed this information without comment and then gave a short nod.

"Care to share, Uchiha?" Kiba barked tersely.

"It's Uchiha-Uzumaki," Naruto muttered.

Sasuke didn't flinch at Kiba's exclamation. Instead he turned to Shikamaru and calmly began speaking.

"The kunoichi uses a flute to cast genjutsu though of the group, she's the weakest in close combat. The shinobi with four arms can produce a spiderweb-like substance that can either act as an inhibiting webbing or solidify into a rock hard weapon. The shinobi with two chakra systems is actually two brothers that share a body but can separate at will. The large shinobi utilizes mostly earth jutsus and his own brute strength in battle."

Sasuke absently thought it was a good thing the entire Sound Five weren't there. He apathetically wondered if the sickly Kimimaro had died.

"They've all got the cursed seal?" Chouji inserted.

Sasuke nodded again.

"How do you know all this?" Naruto interrupted, eyes narrowed.

The rest blinked in obvious surprise and the same thought flashed into their minds: Sasuke hadn't told him?

Naruto wasn't stupid. He caught the stunned reactions of his team mates and knew there was something he didn't know, something that concerned Sasuke and now by default concerned him.

"I'll tell you later," Sasuke decreed clearly, meeting Naruto's suspicious eyes without hesitation. "Right now, I figure you'd rather save Hinata than chitchat."

Naruto grit his teeth, recognising the change in topic for what it was. He saw that Sasuke's dark eyes were absolutely devoid of emotion, no glint of guilt at keeping secrets, no sparkle of excitement for the upcoming mission. Just another wall that Naruto would have to prepare to climb. But that was for later. Sasuke was right; they had a mission.

* * *

Sasuke glared at the thick wall of dirt in front of him. This was _not_ supposed to happen.

Shikamaru had decided an ambush would make the most sense and no one disagreed. So they had--at Sasuke's warning--taken care to avoid rustling any bushes with spider webs attached to them and approached the resting spot of the four Sound nin.

When the one identified as Sakon hurled a kunai sporting three explosive tags at their precise location, they knew their plan had failed. And Sasuke, who had been instructed by their squad commander to keep himself hidden from view unless absolutely necessary, found himself being drawn into battle prematurely.

Unfortunately, they'd been had.

In mid-wrestle, Jiroubou wrenched into existence a large dome of earth that promptly engulfed all the Konoha nin (save Shikamaru and Neji) in addition to their supposed Sound opponents. A couple basic attacks later revealed an old trick that never got easier to detect: all but the hefty Jiroubou had been kage bunshin.

And now, Sasuke was left glaring at a chakra-sucking wall of dirt, remembering Jiroubou's smirk of recognition.

Outside, a somewhat subdued Shikamaru (last Naruto saw him, he was buried up to his neck in the solid ground) commanded Neji to go ahead with instructions not let the group get Hinata across Fire Country's borders.

Still glaring, Sasuke summoned the Sharingan and indicated to the rest of the trapped ninja where the dome's thick dirt walls were weakest. Chouji took his position before stilling and Naruto and Sasuke stood back to back as Kiba and Akamaru flew around them in devastating gatsuugas that ripped messy chunks out of the dome's interior. It wasn't long before a muddy crack appeared in the identified weak point. Then Chouji spun into a meat tank and cannonballed said crack, and dome's back wall exploded.

The fight that ensued wasn't so much a battle as it was the highly-trained Konoha ninja running around in circles, dodging torrents of mud and rock as it was hurled at them in all forms and from all directions with great force.

Chouji spun out of the way as a column of rock and mud burst upwards. As the dirt flew around him, he very clearly heard Jiroubou make a snide remark about the recently-unearthed Shikamaru's leadership skills. Chouji screeched to a dead stop. Naruto, who was right behind him avoiding an avalanche of boulders, nearly tripped over himself stopping in time too.

"What--" Naruto started.

Sasuke appeared at his side, looking thoroughly irritated, and Shikamaru appeared next to Chouji. The Akimichi heir clamped a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder and yelled, "We don't have time for this, I'll fight him."

"Chouji..."

"Shikamaru. Don't be an ass. Go!'

Their clothes a little dirtier and their tempers a little shorter, Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, and Akamaru disappeared into the trees. Behind them, thunder rumbled as the two titans slammed into each other.

* * *

As the late morning sun beat down, Gaara walked up the main road, trying to act casual. The shops in the market had been open a few hours already so it wasn't like he was the only one on the street. Still, he felt like he had a spotlight on him.

Usually it was Lee who went to the weekly market. This week however, the spandex-clad ninja wouldn't be back from his mission until noon at the earliest. And while Gaara knew Lee could always hit the market in the afternoon, he wanted to do something...nice for his energetic husband. The redhead knew this was out of character for him. And thus the spotlight. He was sure everyone in the market was watching to see how he did in his small shopping mission.

Looking at Gaara, you wouldn't know it though. He appeared calm, even a little bored, as he made his way through the crowds. He inhaled deeply, letting himself take in the juicy scents of ripe fruit and the warm smell of freshly baked bread.

Because of his dedication to his physical wellbeing, Lee wasn't a big fan of sugary foods. He did, however, have a weakness for fruit. Over the last three years, Gaara had seen Lee clear through entire bushels of apples and bags of nectarines and bunches of bananas and cartons of strawberries by himself in impossible speeds.

Knowing that the in-season peaches would sell out quickly, Gaara followed his nose to the mountains of colourful fruit piled onto the vendor's stands. However, before he could start perusing, he caught sight of Shizune racing by with TonTon at her heels.

When the harried medic nin noticed Gaara out of the corner of her eye, she paused, as if struck with inspiration. The redhead restrained the urge to sigh and he got the feeling he wouldn't be buying any fruit today.

* * *

Chouji just breathed. The tree trunk against his back was rough but seemed like the most comfortable thing in the world right now. He glanced over at the still body of Jiroubou, which lay in the crater of cracked and crushed earth. He vaguely wondered how the rest of team were doing. He assumed they'd caught up to Neji and the other Sound shinobi. Covered in mud and sweat, Chouji looked down at the clear case of his family's pills, thankful he hadn't been forced to take the red one.

Unbeknownst to him, further on, Neji was also slumped in the shade of a tree amid the aftermath of his own battle with Kidoumaru, the four-armed Sound nin. Neji's head was resting on one of the tree's thick roots, his long hair falling in tangles over his shoulders and face. He was clutching his forehead protector in his hand and eying the lifeless body of his opponent, which lay a few feet away. Vexed, Neji made to brush the strands out of his eyes but stopped immediately. A searing burn inflamed his entire left side at the small movement.

He grunted and his head fell back. He then raised it again so as to get a clear view of the thick, gold-coloured arrow protruding violently through the soft muscle above his armpit. Feeling dizzy, he lay his head back down and made an assessment. The wound wasn't fatal, not by a long shot. And if he didn't pull out the arrow, he had little fear of blood loss.

Still, he probably shouldn't move, Neji thought as the dizziness slowly began melting into darkness.

Before completely passing out from exhaustion and injury, two sets of feet came into Neji's view. A cool hand smoothed the hair off his face and came to rest on his forehead.

"Where are the others?" A familiar voice inquired.

"They went on ahead, after Hinata-sama. I volunteered to...stay behind," Neji said breathlessly.

Only when a wash of healing chakra flooded his system did he finally allow himself the luxury of unconsciousness.

* * *

_Let's see_, Shikamaru thought as he dodged a shower of woodchips that was once a branch. _When did my plan go wrong?_

Another of Tayuya's three summonses appeared in the midst of raining splinters and leaves and the chuunin let gravity pull him backwards and out of harm's way before the demon's club crashed down with ghastly force. Shikamaru felt the woods shudder as he flipped and landed neatly on another branch.

_Probably when that guy, Kimimaro, showed up out of nowhere_, Shikamaru concluded, recalling how the mysterious ninja had retrieved the fat barrel containing Hinata from them with appalling ease only minutes after they had managed to lay their hands on it.

_Then Kiba took off after him before I could give him an order and before this horrible woman could try and stop him._

The enraged snarl that had escaped Kiba at the sight of Hinata being taken out of his reach had very nearly startled the lazy squad leader. Akamaru's rumbling bass growl had then underscored it and without thinking, shinobi and dog had given chase.

A melodious string of notes let Shikamaru know that his temporary hiding spot had probably been located. He dove out from the branch's leafy netting just as the entire limb was ripped off the tree.

_Then before that there was that whole mishap with the exploding note_, Shikamaru recalled wryly as he surreptitiously glanced in the direction of the cliff the last two members of his squad had gone over.

The untimely explosion from a malfunctioning trap they themselves had laid had caught Sasuke and the two-in-one Sound nin in its blast, hurling them into the chasm's gaping drop. Of course, Naruto leapt after Sasuke without preamble.

As he flew over the cliff's rocky ledge, Naruto had twisted and slapped a palm down on the crumbling stones. A hollered "kuchiyose no jutsu" later, and a hefty red and orange toad about the size of the Ichiraku Ramen stand had appeared. The toad's long, rough tongue had immediately shot out and latched onto Naruto, who had managed to latch onto Sasuke in mid-air.

They dangled like that for a minute. Then as the toad slung the two ninja onto its bumpy back, Naruto had called back to Shikamaru, yelling that he and Sasuke were going to take _their_ fight now. Then the toad had disappeared down into the dark, cold canyon that opened like a wound in the forest floor.

_I guess you could say my plan went wrong in a lot of places_, Shikamaru thought, somewhat bored and still evading his opponent's song-dictated attacks. _Bummer._

* * *

Sakon's face, demonized by his Stage Two transformation, was marred by a sneer that was filled with layers of sharp teeth. His temper's fuse had long since burnt out since he and his brother had been forcibly separated thanks to a nasty combination of Sasuke's katana and the Chidori Nagashi.

Ukon's temper wasn't much better. As soon he had awoken and realised that Sasuke was their opponent, his stomach had burned with a gritty anger. They had been told to retrieve Sasuke if possible but Ukon was sure he'd rather just destroy him.

"We should hurry," Naruto managed to say between ducking and weaving Sakon's swipes.

"You heard Kimimaro," Sasuke replied, his sword and eyes steady and pointed at Ukon. "Our time limit's been nullified. Orochimaru had to transfer bodies already."

"Still, Hinata-chan needs us!"

One of Naruto's clones had been marked with an exploding tag under its orange and black jacket. At that moment, in mid-attack, it exploded in Sakon's personal space. Smoke and dust was blasted in all directions around the damp canyon, temporarily hiding everyone from one another.

"Naruto, look out!" Sasuke suddenly yelled, his red eyes the only specks of colour in the dissipating grey smoke.

But when Naruto spun around, there wasn't a soul behind him. He frowned and turned back around to shout at Sasuke for messing with him in the middle of a battle but Sasuke already had his hands full dodging a bitter Sakon's rapid attacks.

"Yo," a voice far too close to Naruto's ear suddenly drawled. "Who are you looking for?"

Naruto's eyes widened and he choked when he realised that Ukon's head was _growing out of his shoulder_. He automatically flung a fist at it but a spiny arm sprung out of his other shoulder and twisted his own arm around himself.

He then half-listened as Ukon bragged about the details of his unique ability, only clinging to a key phrase or two. Like "Basically, we're in the same body." Already bored of the science lesson, Naruto stopped struggling and a short huff of laughter escaped him. Ukon grunted in confusion and tightened his pull on the blonde's arm.

"The same body, you said? Of all the people for you to share bodies with..." Naruto choked out over his strained torso.

He awkwardly dug into the weapon's pouch on his hip with his free left arm and raised the kunai high enough that the ninja invading his body could see it in the grim, watery light. Ukon didn't have time to react before Naruto plunged the kunai deep into his stomach.

Both ninja gasped at the sudden volt of pain. But Naruto, well versed in pain because of Kyuubi's destructive chakra, was already shoving the agony to the back of his mind and didn't hesitate long before wrenching the kunai out. Blood spilled freely from the wound and the blonde dropped to his knees.

"Suicide?! Impossible!" Ukon screamed in Naruto's ear. He was obviously shaken, his anger thinly covering the immense pain.

"Not quite," Naruto said, a terrifying grin spreading across his face. "Of all the people for you to share bodies with...you pick the one that heals ten times faster than you."

Horrified, Ukon found himself trapped under the gaze of Naruto's suddenly red eyes. And then Naruto tilted the sharp point of the kunai upwards and jammed it viciously between his ribs. It pierced messily through skin, organ, and tissue, and more blood--too much blood--gushed out in spurts and splashes. Howling in pain and shock, Ukon flung himself backwards out of Naruto's body.

He collapsed onto the ground, desperately gasping in air as the bloody wounds in his stomach spread wetly and dribbled down his sides. Naruto was also gasping. He could feel his body's violent reaction to the kunai lodged tightly between his lungs. With one more intake of breath, he grasped the hilt in his now claw-like hands and jerked it out. A river of red gushed across Naruto's knees and stained his orange clothes. He doubled over, barely able to choke air in and out of his lungs. His heartbeat grew sluggish.

_Stupid brat, _a voice floated to him as his vision swam.

Then the familiar burn of Kyuubi's chakra swallowed his limbs and encased him whole. His hands curled as his nails sharpened further and he knew his whisker-marks would be raised off his skin like scars. He felt a chakra foxtail form behind him and swish dangerously. Naruto's eyes flew open, still blood red, and he sucked in more air, letting himself soak in the chakra before summoning a second tail.

Both the demon and the shinobi knew that the self-inflicted wound was fatal. Theoretically anyway. As Naruto tightened his grip on the kunai's slippery hilt, he could feel the wounds being nurtured and soothed by the low burn of the red chakra. A sensation of being underwater engulfed him and even though he saw Ukon take a fighting stance, he seemed to be drifting away.

In his crouched position, the blonde suddenly corkscrewed around and took in the figure of the taken aback Sound nin. Kyuubi was wide-awake and eager to have an opponent to sink its claws into.

* * *

Gradually, his eyes began to refocus. It took a couple blinks for Naruto to realise that his eyes were back under his control and he could see.

He sat with his exhausted legs in front of him, his arms loose at his side, and his gaze on his mutilated stomach. He was slumped against a tall rock and he could almost physically hear Kyuubi's frustrated snarls concerning the openings created by the broken seal. But to the fox's misfortune and Naruto's morbid curiosity, as the taut skin near his navel began to slowly regenerate, the markings did too.

As Naruto groggily regained control over his aching limbs, he noted that the wide blotches of blood covering his clothes had increased and he had to assume that it wasn't all his. He tiredly raised his head and struggled for breath at the sight of Ukon's shredded and lifeless body. The Sound nin was much smaller when not in the Stage Two form. Naruto could see a nasty claw mark swiping across Ukon's cheek and into his blood-matted silver hair. It oozed across the bridge of his nose and onto a puddle on the damp ground.

Naruto automatically looked down at his hands. The sharp claws had vanished as though they were never there but to his disgust, there was still a good helping of red underneath his fingernails.

The clashing of metal and fists suddenly stopped and Naruto blinked; he hadn't realised he had been listening to Sasuke's fight the whole time. His body still felt too heavy to move but he looked around, searching for the battle. Finding nothing in his entire span of vision, he figured the other two ninja were directly behind the large rock he had his back pressed to.

"Traitor," he heard Sakon hiss.

Naruto frowned and tilted his head to hear better.

"Using the Kusanagi sword Orochimaru-sama gave you...why not just go to Stage Two!" Sakon snarled before launching into a growling battle cry that, from the sound of it, accompanied an attack.

Naruto heard Sasuke's icy voice state the Hidden Snake Hands Jutsu (1) and something tightened in Naruto's chest.

The blonde sat still and numbly listened as the snakes shot out and bound and throttled Sakon. All the while, Naruto began piecing together all the small clues about Sasuke that were now heartbreakingly obvious. Where would Sasuke have learned that jutsu? Why was Sasuke only a chuunin when he was clearly jounin level? Why had Sasuke said he hadn't been training with Kakashi as much as Naruto had assumed? Why had the furniture in their apartment barely been used (let alone rearranged)?

"He went to Orochimaru," Naruto whispered to himself, his head falling back and hitting the rock. His eyes closed as though this new awareness was causing him physical pain.

He had been wrong.

_Seal or no seal, Sasuke wouldn't accept that bastard's invitation. He doesn't need to since he's really strong already._ Hadn't he said that to Sakura?

But he had been wrong.

He barely registered the sound of Sasuke's roaring fireball and Sakon's howls of pain as he was blackened and burnt to a crisp. There were a few moments of silence after the Sound nin's body fell like dead weight to the ground.

At the light thud of a pair of feet landing on the rock above him, Naruto's eyes opened. From upside-down, he searched the red eyes locked on his. It was only then that Naruto realised Sasuke's Sharingan had the third drop, and it was two completed mitsu tomoe he was looking at. (2)

Sasuke looked down into Naruto's wide blue eyes and casually retracted the heaven seal's black sprawl from his wintry skin. When it was once again curled into the mark on his neck, it burned bright for a minute before quieting. It was uninhibited by the protective seal Kakashi had netted it with when they were twelve.

His abdominal wounds healing but were still in bad shape. Nevertheless, Naruto hauled himself to his feet and out of Sasuke's shadow. He narrowed his eyes shrewdly at the dark-haired teen.

"You went to Orochimaru," he accused.

Sasuke's gaze immediately wandered away from Naruto's and he leapt off the rock, noting that the jinchuuriki was clutching hard at his bloody stomach. Sasuke wasn't in prime condition either. Sakon had managed to land a few nasty shots. Sasuke's right shoulder had three freely-bleeding gouges that would obviously need stitches. And his slightly pained landing let Naruto know that one of Sasuke's legs had to have taken heavy hits.

Sasuke casually wiped the blade of his katana on the thigh of his black pants before returning it to the sheath tucked into the back of the red rope looped several times around his waist.

He could feel the wave of anger and hurt Naruto was directing at him. And while Sasuke had felt guilty for a few fleeting seconds, he now grew insolent and angry himself. He had no reason to feel guilty on Naruto's behalf. He had left the village with his own future and goals in mind and if the blonde took Sasuke's betrayal personally, that was Naruto's problem.

So instead of an apology, all Sasuke finally said was, "You and Sakura got to be personally trained by a member of the sannin. I figured I did too."

"Do they know? Does everyone else know?"

"Of course they know. I was gone for over a year."

"A year? Was no one going to tell me?"

"You know now."

"Did you plan to come back?"

"No," Sasuke said honestly.

"Then why did you? Did you get dragged home? Did Orochimaru kick you out?" Naruto sneered.

"I left!"

"Why?"

Their voices, though loud, didn't echo in the canyon. The damp walls, the grim audience of boulders, the dead bodies of their two opponents, and the shallow river merely absorbed every sound into itself. It almost felt claustrophobic.

"Why what? What are you questioning, Naruto? My motives? My morals?"

"Your spine," Naruto gritted out.

Sasuke gave him an ugly look and neither spoke for a few minutes. The tension settled like a weight in the air.

"Why did you come back?"

"I don't know!" Sasuke finally yelled in desperation.

He immediately regretted yelling. When had he allowed himself to get this worked up? How did Naruto do that to him so quickly when no one else could?

"You don't know or you don't want to tell me?" Naruto asked in a cold, shrewd voice.

"Ch," Sasuke said between his teeth.

His gaze flew sideways and Naruto knew he had guessed right.

"Itachi is looking for the nine-tailed fox," Sasuke admitted quietly.

Naruto went completely stiff, gaping wounds in his middle forgotten. He stared at Sasuke with unbelieving eyes.

"So this...all this...is just about Itachi?" He gasped out incredulously.

There was a pregnant pause where Sasuke seemed to be chewing on his tongue.

"...it used to be," he finally answered in a voice that seemed far too small for the Sasuke Naruto knew.

Naruto frowned. "Oh, come off it. It's still about your brother."

Sasuke's eyes snapped to Naruto's angrily. Both could feel the fight brewing between them like the grumbling of an oncoming thunderstorm. But when they tensed, readying their bodies for the much-desired battle, Naruto nearly doubled over and Sasuke's hand flew to cover his bleeding shoulder while he winced about the deep bruising on his leg.

Sasuke recovered his wits quickly and hurled his agitation at Naruto in insults instead.

"What the hell would you know about brothers? What the hell would you know about _me_ when you've never had siblings or parents?"

"Sasuke!" Naruto barked out in an angry warning.

"You've been alone from the start. How could you possibly understand what it felt like to _lose_ them? What it...what it _feels_ like."

The puncture wounds in Naruto's middle burned in a stinging ache and the sudden pain erased anything he was about to say. Plunged into involuntary speechlessness, Naruto found himself actually concentrating on what the other ninja was saying. He looked at the dark-haired teen through bleary eyes and tried to understand.

He imagined, really imagined, what would happen if someone killed Sasuke. What if Naruto returned to Konoha one day and Sasuke and Sakura and Kakashi and Iruka and everyone Naruto considered family...what if he found them all dead? Naruto's chest tightened in panic and he found he couldn't truly imagine the heart-shredding, head-splitting, complete agonizing grief that would engulf him.

As he looked at Sasuke, the vicious ninja he had been arguing to the death with a second ago suddenly wasn't real. For the first time in his life, Naruto saw straight through the Sasuke's prickly attacks and spiny defences and instead, saw the child that had strived with his whole heart to make his parents proud, the child that had gotten his world destroyed and that whole heart ripped to pieces. And Naruto realised with a pang of despair that froze his centre that no, he didn't understand what Sasuke had been through. And what was worse...he couldn't fix it.

Sasuke was still yelling. It sounded like he'd wanted to scream all this at the world for years.

As Naruto silently listened, he watched Sasuke's livid face and found with a sad sense of awe that this was a side of Sasuke that maybe no one had been allowed see before: the damaged, frightened child that lived at Sasuke's core. What the hell could Naruto possibly do? What the hell could Naruto possibly say?

"You've always been alone! You don't know the slightest thing!" Sasuke shouted.

He panted harshly, his chest heaving. A trickle of blood oozed out of his shoulder, unnoticed. Meanwhile, his dark eyes were defensive and frustrated and fixed on Naruto's own helpless gaze.

"...okay," Naruto whispered.

Sasuke stopped breathing. "What?" He asked, his voice disbelieving.

"Okay," Naruto said more clearly. "I don't understand. Not completely."

Sasuke frowned, the unexpected prickle of tears grating over the back of his eyes. He blinked in an attempt to ward them away. Forgetting his painful shoulder and injured leg and disregarding Naruto's serious injuries, he barrelled into the blond teen and grabbed two fistfuls of Naruto's blood-stained jacket before yanking him close.

"Don't you get it?! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" He yelled into Naruto's face.

"I know," Naruto said sadly, his arms gingerly unfolding from his stomach. His hands lightly landed on Sasuke's elbows and Sasuke's frown got deeper.

"You don't understand. You don't understand me. You don't _know_."

"Okay."

"You don't!"

"Okay."

"You don't know."

"Okay."

Unsaid by Sasuke but heard nonetheless by Naruto was the small, lost question, "Then why are you still here?"

Sasuke seemed completely lost at Naruto's reaction. His energy seemed to drain out of him all at once and all he could do was breathe. His facial expression was the most vulnerable Naruto had ever seen it and his obsidian eyes were wet with frustrated, unshed tears.

Naruto's arms crept up and cautiously settled around Sasuke's shoulders, being careful not to aggravate the deep gashes on Sasuke's right. And slowly Sasuke collapsed into him. His face and hands were buried in Naruto's chest and Naruto, disregarding the throbbing of his abdominal injuries, hugged Sasuke as tightly as he could.

He pressed his lips into the side of Sasuke's head and just held him closer, trying to communicate without words that as long as he was there, Sasuke would never have to face the world as that lonely, frightened child ever again.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

(1) Used by Anko in Episode 30.

(2) Courtesy of A tomoe (巴) is a Japaneseabstractshape (i.e. a swirl) that resembles a comma or the usual form of magatama. It is a common design element in and corporatelogos, particularly in triplicate whorls known as mitsu tomoe.

Thanks so much to **Mrs.NarutoUzumaki**, **TimeForTea**, **KunochiDreamer**, **dustori**, **Tirra** **Lirra**, **Hasamaki**, **Gonrie**, **HoshitheHorse**, **Ichihime**, **FREAKSHOW1**, **KatDemonLizzy-Kun**, **megsjedi**, **michelerene**, **YueYoukaiEclipse**, **DramaQueen1193**,

**yaoi loveing wolf**, **Frost Princess xX**, **Smexikitsune4884**, and **YueYoukaiEclipse** for your glorious reviews!

**Itachi'sEBILcuppycake** – Uh...thanks/sorry? ;)

**Clemen** – You're a peach. Good luck on your story!

**Kitarin** – Thank you so much! Your review totally made my entire week.

**asylum-bound** – Cookie points for referencing End of the World and also just in general for being an awesome reviewer.

**Alley-Oop** and **Luna!** – Honestly, I'm hoping to make this story a balance between SasuNaru and NaruSasu because as far as I'm concerned, relationships never quite work out unless both parties are on the same level. Now it's just a question of whether or not I can pull that off adequately. ;) Thanks for the reviews!

-Ms Trick


	16. Track 16

**Sealed  
XVI**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick 

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 16

It was well into the afternoon and the forest was humid and quiet. Except for a pair of voices.

"I'll go on ahead. I'm pretty useless as a medic nin," Temari said, watching Sakura dig through her large white medicine bag.

"Alright. I'll make sure Neji's stabilized and that the medical squad knows where to locate him and Chouji. Then I'll follow."

"Sounds good."

* * *

Gaara flew through the weaving rows of branches at a dizzying height, unencumbered by the familiar weight of the gourd on his back. He caught sight of uninterrupted sunshine ahead through the leaves and estimated that he'd soon reach a place where the forest's dense population thinned. 

The redhead began descending even as he travelled forward. His calculations proved correct as very soon, the forestry gave way to a field of long, summer green grass. He hit the ground running and only got a glimpse of a milk-pale ninja poised for a fight in the middle of the field before, much to Gaara's surprise, a familiar form came flying through the air in his direction.

Almost without command, the cork popped out of the heavy gourd and a spray of sand shot towards Lee's falling body. It curled and bubbled before catching the ninja in a golden cushion of sand.

Lee was still tensed, ready to hit the ground. He breathed in shock at the realisation that he was floating.

_Sand...Gaara's sand...But how?_ Lee wondered as the cloud settled softly into the long grass.

The sand's commander slowly stepped in front of his line of vision. Lee looked up at him, clueless as to where the hell his stoic husband had come from. Gaara was having similar thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" Gaara asked in a curious and mild voice. Meanwhile, his eyes fixed on their silver-haired opponent.

Tired of being on the ground, Lee sprang into a standing position behind the younger shinobi and gave a brief explanation to the gourd-burdened back.

"My team and I were returning from our mission and we saw the enraged Kiba-kun with Akamaru locked in battle. I, being the only one uninjured enough to join a fight of such calibre, sent the rest of the team home and then offered to take over for our dog-loving friend. Kiba-kun and Akamaru then raced into the forest there after informing me they were chasing Hinata-san. Were you sent as their back-up?"

"Mm," Gaara confirmed.

"Yosh!" Lee hollered enthusiastically, clenching a fist. "Let us do our best to defeat this opponent! We shall have to become defenders not only of youth but of marriage!"

As expected, Gaara didn't offer a response. But when Lee glanced over, the redhead was fishing something out of a pocket in his mostly-empty weapons pouch. He then lightly tossed the object to Lee, who caught it and broke his gaze on Kimimaro to see what it was. A smile lit up his face.

It was a peach.

* * *

When Shikamaru unfolded his arms from their protective cross in front of his face, he was hit with the bright, clear, suddenly very _visible_ blue sky. He nearly gaped at the wide radius of deforestation now surrounding them thanks to Temari's jutsu. The cacophony of branches and slices of tree trunks crunching down to the forest floor still continued as he gazed around, finally spotting his opponent's red-orange hair. The small, crumpled form of Tayuya lay lifeless under a mass of heavy tree limbs. 

With a sound of sliding steel, Temari folded her battle fan and then clunked its closed form down with a sense of finality.

"What do you think?" She asked, a smirk coming through in her voice. "The battle's over."

Even as the aches and exhaustion from his fight began to settle in (specifically the dull throb of his broken finger), Shikamaru blinked and marvelled at the amount of force the woman in front of him had just conjured up.

She looked over her shoulder at him and bared her teeth in a victorious grin. Then she swung the heavy fan over her shoulder and as she approached him, slid it into the red sash tied at her back. He gave her a smile as she sashayed closer. Then the palms of her fingerless gloves were grazing his neck and her soft lips were brushing his.

He liked this contrast, her rough battle manner and the rough leather of her gloves followed by the supple taste of her mouth. His uninjured hand found its way over her hip and pressed the small of her back warmly.

The light thumps of a pair of feet landing nearby on the tree branch startled them.

"Shikamaru," Sakura's voice came suddenly.

They jumped apart, both their hearts pounding a guilty adrenaline through their systems. Caught red-handed, they could only stare at Sakura and expect some sort of reproach. But the pink-haired girl's face was a deadly blank and when she spoke it was in a brief military fashion.

"I need to inquire about the position of the rest of your squad members."

Shikamaru tried not to stutter as he reported Sasuke and Naruto's descent into the gully and then indicated the direction Kiba and Akamaru had taken. Sakura's facial expression still hadn't changed and when Shikamaru was finished, she merely gave a curt nod and then about-faced to take a route to the chasm.

"Sakura..."

Her medicine bag swinging around her, Sakura briefly hesitated at apologetic tone in Temari's voice. But then the younger girl stated icily, "This mission is still in progress. I have work to do."

She stalked forward several steps but then suddenly paused again. Without turning around, she asked, "Shikamaru, are you in any need of medical assistance?"

His eyes lowered to his bent and twisted index finger and he felt the broken bone pulse painfully.

"No," he muttered.

* * *

Sasuke just breathed, trying to ignore the minor itch indicative of an overused Sharingan that refused to abate even when his eyelids shut. 

His eyes had been crimson throughout his entire spat with Naruto and he had only thought to deactivate his bloodline after finding himself pressed into Naruto's chest. After allowing himself to be held for several minutes, he had felt tremors begin to course through the other's body and had managed to get a good grip on him before his legs gave out. Sasuke had ended up propping himself against the rock Naruto had rested against earlier and then Naruto had curled around him. The jinchuuriki had passed out with his head near Sasuke's hip shortly after.

Now Sasuke just breathed and counted Naruto's breaths while he absently ran his fingers through the gold hair. His other hand was still holding his sword though the gashes in his shoulder still stung excruciatingly and he could feel the swelling bruises indicative of a fracture in the thigh that Naruto's head wasn't resting on. He eyed how the Kyuubi vessel's arms had folded loosely but protectively across his opened stomach even in unconsciousness.

"Naruto? Sasuke-kun?" A familiar voice echoed around the damp canyon.

"Here," Sasuke called with a small frown. Sakura's voice had sounded a little...wobbly. Was she crying?

The pink-haired girl approached them quickly and slung her plump, white bag down before sinking to Naruto's side. She pulled off her gloves as she did so. Making sure his head stayed comfortably on its make-shift pillow, she rolled him onto his back gently and took in the defensive position of the blonde's arms.

"Abdominal wounds?" She asked, her tone still somewhat shaky even as her hands expertly unwound Naruto's arms, unzipped the blood-stained jacket, and lifted what remained of his black shirt to take in the damage.

Sasuke nodded. "Deep ones."

"How 'bout you? Anything besides that nasty-looking shoulder?"

"Fractured thigh."

There was a long pause and the only sound was the hush of healing chakra being expelled from Sakura's crossed hands. The two gashes that hadn't closed completely on Naruto's stomach absorbed it hungrily. They watched in silence as the wounds closed and the intricate black seal around their team mate's bellybutton finally vanished, sinking back into the tan skin.

She looked over her handiwork and inspected the unconscious ninja's breathing and heart rate. When she was satisfied, she moved to Sasuke's other side and hovered her hands over his bloody shoulder. He heard her take in another wobbly breath and saw her green eyes fill with more tears.

"Sakura..."

"Don't ask."

He stared at her for a minute and she steadfastly kept her eyes on her work. Understanding that now was not the time, Sasuke gave a short nod and let her continue the medical jutsu, ignoring that she had to keep blinking to stop her vision from blurring.

* * *

The late afternoon sun cast sprawling leafy shadows over the two exhausted ninja. Slumped against a tree, Lee sat with his legs stuck out in from of him as he tried to catch his breath. He eyed the loose bandages wreathing his wrists and forearms but didn't move to rewrap them yet. 

Cradled against the trunk of an adjacent tree, Gaara was resting his elbows on his knees in the same worn out state. His large gourd, once again packed full of its dense contents, was slumbering nearby. It lay on an angle somewhat and a stream of sand was drizzling out into a puddle on the grass. The redhead watched it a little sullenly; he had lost the cork during the fight.

For a few seconds, both of them mulled on the recent memory of Kimimaro amidst the forest of bones, frozen in mid-attack with his mouth bloodied. Despite being rather glad that they weren't still locked in battle or dead, both Konoha nin sensed how deep it would pain such a strong ninja to know that his own body would be the one to betray him.

"We would've been completely defeated," Gaara stated once his breathing and heart rate had settled mostly back to normal.

"That's not true," Lee countered. "Gai-sensei always told me that luck was a part of strength."

Once Gaara would have rolled his eyes at yet another proclamation of the magnificent Gai-sensei's teachings, but now he stayed silent. He conjured tiny, vague shapes out of the sand that had leaked from the gourd's mouth, musing on Kimimaro's last words of praise and defence for his Orochimaru-sama.

"He reminded me of Naruto, in a way...always defending his most precious person," Gaara said pensively. "Even if the important person isn't always good."

Lee thought for a moment, looking up into the cooling breeze. "You don't always have to take someone _bad_ as your precious person. Maybe our doomed opponent would have been better off never meeting Orochimaru."

"...I don't know. Even if you knew that the person who acknowledged you was evil, loneliness is impossible to defeat alone."

Hearing the quiet note of empathy, Lee looked over but the younger ninja's gaze was still on the miniscule sand swirls and stars he was crafting on the ground. A few seconds slunk by and then Lee reached down to unwind the already unravelling bandages on his right arm. As he finished, he sidled over until he was flush against Gaara's side. Gaara tensed minutely out of habit but made no move to pull away.

"Gaara. You've never told me why you have 'love' written on your forehead and judging from your silences, I take it to be a negative memory. But...I was hoping...that if we share the mark, it could come to mean something beyond your association with solitude."

He held his now bare wrist out for Gaara's inspection and the redhead's eyes widened. His breath paused in his throat and the sand shapes melted back into piles unnoticed as he gingerly reached out to grasp Lee's arm with both hands. Tattooed there on the soft skin of the older boy's wrist was the kanji for 'love' the same size and colour as Gaara's.

"...why?" Gaara murmured the question in awe, raising his gaze so he could meet Lee's eyes.

A dazzling grin appeared before him and then, like a comet with white bandages for its tail, Lee's left hand shot into a thumbs-up. "Because that's what love _is_! Living fully in the springtime of our yo--mmph."

A burble of sand had suddenly swelled behind the spandex-clad ninja, lightly shoving him forwards so that Gaara could place both hands on either side of Lee's head and kiss him.

* * *

As the day headed steadily towards evening, the blue sky became overrun by grey, snarling clouds. Sakura didn't spare the parading storm clouds a single glance as she raced towards the Valley of the End. She swept aside any lush foliage draped in her way and kept a firm grip on the shoulder strap of her white medical bag as it flew out behind her. 

The forest suddenly broke and she came upon the wide lake with a gasp. A flock of seagulls glided far above the cliffs and found purchase on the two great monuments' hands and heads. Though any and all squawking was drowned out by the full roar of the clamorous waterfall.

Sakura didn't stop running until she reached the water's edge. She skidded to a halt on one of the large rocks that made up the base of the granite cliffs, where they melted into the blue lake. She bent over and rested her hands on her knees as she caught her breath, finally too tired to remember her tears. Her bag dropped next to her with a light thwump.

Suddenly, a rush of ripples ploughed into the edge of the rocky shore, sending waves through her reflection and up to lap at her shoes. Sakura frowned and looked out across the water. Her eyes widened when she saw Akamaru's large white head break the surface of the disturbed lake. His shovel-like paws plonked onto the rippling water and he hauled himself up to a standing position before shaking himself dry. Judging from where the nin-dog had landed, Sakura calculated that he must have jumped from the crest of the waterfall and she hadn't heard the splash over the noise.

A second later, Kiba crashed into the lake mere feet from Akamaru and Sakura realised that the canine hadn't jumped.

He'd been thrown.

Akamaru stuck his nose to the water's clear ceiling to confirm that his partner was conscious and swimming. Then he turned his gaze to the top of the cataract and Sakura instinctively imitated him. A dark figure appeared on a rock amidst the spray and leapt over the edge unhesitatingly.

The ninja landed with a grace unnerving for a drop that height and Sakura's breath froze in her chest when she realised she was looking at Hinata.

The shy kunoichi was barely recognizable. She was like a negative photograph of herself; her pale eyes were now alien, cold black pools; her hair had become a shocking snow white and also sharper, and it fell past her shoulders like icicles; her lips were a stain of blood red against smooth, inky grey skin that had swallowed her Inuzuka markings. But what made Sakura's gut clench was that Hinata's hands had morphed into huge claws more befitting a gargoyle than a girl. Silver webbing was stretched between the elongated fingers which were tipped by ten black talons.

_Does Sasuke look like that when he's...?_ Sakura wondered, her mind in a daze.

Kiba had clambered to his feet on the water's surface and immediately shifted into an attack stance. With her empty black eyes fixed on her opponent, Hinata made no move to attack or defend and merely twisted her garish lips into a small smile.

With a determined yell, Kiba charged forward and Akamaru followed suite with his teeth bared. Hinata didn't move until they were within two feet of her, when she swiftly flung out her arms and spun in a motion more reminiscent of a dancer than a ninja. Arcs of gleaming silver chakra appeared in the wake of her hands. And effortlessly, Kiba and Akamaru were thrown backwards to again land noisily on the lake's surface.

"Stop fighting this, Kiba," she drawled, at once bored by the ease of the fight and delighted at her obvious advantage. "Let me go. Don't you want me to be happy?"

Sakura listened with a sense of dread. She was definitely hearing Hinata's voice but there was an arrogant, mocking tone that Sakura was sure had never been present in Hinata's _thoughts_ before, let alone her throat. And yet...even underneath the new lugubrious layers, Sakura could still catch a glimpse of their sweet Hinata at the core.

It hadn't escaped the medic-nin's notice that Hinata had only played defence so far and that she was trying to convince Kiba to back down from the fight.

"I'm not letting you go to that bastard!" Kiba snarled, back in his standard, low-to-the-ground attack position. "You belong at home with your family."

"Do you really think I was happy being reduced to a housewife?" She sneered, her stoicism fading. "Did anyone ever stop to consider that I didn't want to remain weak my entire life?!"

"So turning yourself into _this_ is your answer?!"

"It's the only answer I have!"

"But _look_ at yourself! This isn't you, Hinata!"

She gave him a long, suffering stare. "No..." she said. "It's better than me."

"You can't mean that..." He stammered, frozen in his battle stance and gazing at her empty eyes with a mixture of quiet shock and despair.

A humourless smile crossed her face and she calmly raised one of her bat-like claws to flick a lock of snowy hair over her shoulder.

"Do you know what I can see now?" She said in hushed wonder, pinning her husband with her eyes. "Not just chakra. I can see your heart beating, your lungs expanding in your chest, red veins filled with your blood...I can see every part of you. I can see straight through you. It's beautiful."

He listened silently.

"You want to take that away from me? Still want to take me back?" She mocked. "Just let me go."

"Never."

She scowled. "You'd rather I go back with you to that miserable existence? You want me to just sit and obey like one of your dogs?"

"No!" Kiba yelled. "I want you happy."

"Then let me leave!"

"This isn't going to make you happy!"

"But it'll make me powerful," she stated with assurance.

"This isn't the path to true power," Kiba argued. "This is...This is just cheating."

"Like I have any other choice!" She yelled, breathing heavily. "It's not like you won't benefit from having a strong wife."

"I'd rather just have Hinata," Kiba said through gritted teeth. "I'd rather you just come home!"

"You'll make me weak again!" She screamed, lunging towards Kiba with a sudden vicious desperation.

Scythe-like talons swiped wickedly at Kiba's midsection and the Inuzuka's leather jacket suffered several gouges. That was the extent of the damage until Sakura saw four bloody scratches rake across Kiba's chin and immediately after, Akamaru got a nasty claw mark to the back of his head. She could only watch in horror, wondering whether Hinata had just struck a fatal blow to her husband and if it would be really appropriate for her to interfere in such an emotionally-charged fight.

While in such close proximity, Kiba retaliated with a sudden gatsuuga that drilled straight into the kunoichi's chest and knocked her backwards several yards. It was then Sakura saw with some relief that Hinata's slash had completely missed Kiba's jugular. Kiba must have tilted his torso back at the last second, causing the cuts to slice into the bottom of his face and the underside of his chin rather than sever the fatal vein lying just a few inches lower.

Ignoring his bloodied fur, Akamaru lowered his head and again charged towards Hinata, who was momentarily off-balance. But Hinata had always been good at sensing danger and she instinctively spun like a top, imitating Neji's kaiten. Zigzags of silver chakra were expelled from the grotesque palms of her claws and spiralled outwards, and the large dog was once again thrown backwards.

Hinata hadn't stopped spinning for two seconds before Kiba abruptly had his arms around her torso in a bear hug that pinned her upper arms to her sides.

"Let go!" She shrieked, her black eyes flashing. "Let me go!"

She thrashed in his grip but Kiba only tightened his arms around her. Hinata's blood-red lips parted with a gasp as air was rapidly squeezed from her lungs. The massive claws scrabbled against Kiba's abdomen and sides, slashing through leather and consequently skin.

Kiba grunted in pain, his eyes squeezing shut from the effort of the crushing embrace. As it got harder to breathe, Hinata's attempts to escape grew more frantic. Her feet inflicted a map of painful bruises and hairline fractures into Kiba's shins and blood was trickling down from his middle in heavy red streams that stained his clothes, ran over his shoes and through his toes before sinking into the lake's surface.

Sakura couldn't remember the last time she had blinked; she was so riveted on the couple struggling in each other's arms. But the sight of Kiba's blood lacing the water stirred the medic-nin's instincts back to life. She was reluctant to get entangled in such a personal battle but if Kiba continued to lose blood at such a rate, she would have to interfere for fear of his life.

"Please," Hinata struggled to whisper as her dark eyes swam with tears. "Don't. Please...let...me..."

With her breath gone and her spirit crumbling, her movements gradually became sapped of energy. Her claws scratched weakly at his stomach and as she began to fade into unconsciousness, they softened. Instead of the wicked black talons, Hinata's soft pink, albeit completely bloodied, hands were suddenly clutching the leather of Kiba's jacket. As her eyelids fluttered and sank shut against her will, the black pools lightened to their normal white. And when Hinata's breathless body finally grew limp in Kiba's arms, her hair fell down her back, black and silky.

With a helpless sadness, Kiba watched the face of the girl he loved pale to its regular flush and the Inuzuka marks resume their places on her cheeks. How had he not noticed her feeling so trapped and desperate? How long had she been silently screaming? How much had he contributed to her misery?

A worried whine escaped Akamaru, who was sitting soaking wet and exhausted nearby.

Kiba's vice-like grip loosened somewhat and he felt her breathing return to its regular rhythm. One of his hands gently traced up her back, running through her long hair and coming to rest underneath her head so he could softly cradle her smaller frame close. He felt a bite of frustrated tears and he rested his chin on the top of her head, tucking her against his bloodied form.

When they got home, he thought determinedly, he would change the entire village of Konoha if it meant her happiness. He would do anything. He swore it.

With a sudden growl of thunder, the sky opened and the rain started.

As soon as the drops hit the ground, it was like a spell had broken; Sakura snatched up her bag and finally ran towards the two wounded ninja as the surface of the water exploded under the rain like a tin roof under a barrage of gravel.

* * *

_Author's Note_: 

LOTS of Thanks to: **yaoi loveing wolf**, **Ichihime**, **KaiPhoenix**, **michelerene**, **ingome**, **Koolneko22**, **Clemen**, **keikeiaznqueen**, **VescaWithoutWings**, **Shounen-Ai**, **KunochiDreamer**, **Kai'sgrl**, **Mistress of Sadikus**, **lonelylulaby**, **SakuraKissy**, and **arisa0**!

**Luna** – I don't have a definitive outline but as of my notes right now, I'd say the story only has about three or four chapters left. Maybe five. Thanks so much for the review!

**TimeForTea** – I'll hopefully explain more about Sasuke's time with Orochimaru in the next chapter or so. Thank you for the review! Your reviews always make my day.

**Boejangles** – Yeah, the outcome of Chouji and Neji's fights were different mainly because of the time jump. Thanks for reviewing!

**Nikotehfox** – Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. As for your questions, you'll have to wait and see.

**Alley-Oop** – Thanks so much for taking the time to send me that review. :) You kinda make my life better.

**FREAKSHOW1** – LOL! Anything I can do to make it better? (Unfortunately, I can't kill Sasuke for you.)


	17. Track 17

**Sealed  
XVII**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 17

_Alone in his tiny apartment, Naruto gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, curbing the impulse to punch a hole in his fridge. He balefully eyed the bars of golden evening light that poured in from the window, mentally running through the entire alphabet of bad names while cursing his grandmother figure._

"_I have to marry Sasuke or I can't become Hokage? WHAT GIVES?!" He screeched loudly to the empty apartment for the umpteenth time. "What the HELL is baachan _thinking_?"_

_It had been almost exactly twenty-four hours since Tsunade had unceremoniously informed him of his engagement. Naruto hadn't stopped fuming since he had been booted out of her office._

_He had wanted to marry properly when he was older. Find some nice girl that could cook ramen or something like that. Though to be honest, Naruto hardly ever contemplated his future home life. Any mention of the future immediately set his mind into a frenzy about becoming Hokage. But he at least knew that he had wanted to make this choice, the choice to marry someone, himself._

_Naruto scowled and slumped to the floor, until he was lying sprawled on the highly scuffed floorboards. He tucked his hands behind his head and fixed his narrowed eyes on the innocent ceiling. Despite his agitation, his energy seemed to melt into the floor and a yawn escaped him._

_Sasuke was one of his most precious people, it was true. But that didn't mean he wanted to _marry_ him._

_Regardless, he planned to ignore the bastard for as long as possible. Sleepily, he imagined coming home to Sasuke wearing an apron and shaking a ladle at him angrily._

"_Worst wife EVER," Naruto concluded, his eyes drifting shut. "He's such a bastard, he'd probably throw a raging fireball at me if I came home late or something."_

_Half-asleep, he barely mumbled out his last sentence before conking out._

"_Even if he is pretty."_

The dream faded like mist and as Naruto woke, smirking at the memory. That week of ignoring one another had been downright comical until its sudden end, when Sakura had found out about the engagement.

His brain had yet to open his eyes but under the blue hospital blanket that was scratchy against his bare chest, his fingertips grazed over the bandaging around his midsection. He gingerly pressed in several places. A combination of Kyuubi's chakra and Sakura's medical prowess were nearly flawless damage control, and so Naruto breathed easily, the wounds on the verge of being gone without a trace.

He finally cracked open his eyelids, taking a minute to let the shapes in the room de-blur themselves. There was another bed adjacent to his, barely three feet away and next to the window. In it, Sasuke was sitting with his hands on his knees, watching him.

* * *

TenTen sat completely rigid in a creaky chair that had been dragged in from the hospital's clean corridor. She stared unblinkingly at the still form of Neji, torn between the stoic acceptance of a ninja and the worry of a wife. Unable to decide which course of action felt more correct, she just ended up staring a hole into her sleeping spouse.

Which created a rather awkward space for Neji, who could see her through his closed eyelids. He blinked open his eyes slowly and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she leaned over him and set a soft kiss on his dry lips.

Neji lightly kissed her back, unsure if there was something else he was supposed to do.

* * *

Shikamaru tried in vain to shut down his sense of hearing without having to resort to clapping his hands over his ears. He would hate to aggravate his recently splinted and bandaged finger, but that sound was starting to _grate_.

He held in a sigh and glanced at the cheery blue sky, which hung cloudless outside the corridor's window. He suddenly remembered the pursuit mission after Sasuke--there had been no clouds to get lost in then either. Plus the mission had turned out to be completely fruitless as Sasuke had left like Hinata, in the middle of the night. He had vanished unhindered and it had taken a full day to even discover his absence.

By the time Shikamaru had been sent out with a pursuit team, it had been far too late. And he and his team had returned empty handed and uninjured, and he had ended up comforting a weeping, devastated Sakura.

The sigh he'd been restraining finally escaped him when Koori's bawling hit another high note.

"Shh, I'm sure he's fine. _Trust me, he's actually fine_," Ino comforted through gritted teeth.

She was straddling the line between sympathetic and vexed.

Chouji's injuries consisted more of stress and exhaustion than anything life-threatening, and Shikamaru had said as much. But the mere fact that Chouji had to remain in the hospital for the next few days immediately sent Koori's lip quivering.

More noisy, wracking sobs escaped from behind the hands clamped over her eyes and Ino gave Shikamaru a mildly amused look. Done with trying to convince the other kunoichi of the obvious, she opted to just pat her back soothingly.

Shikamaru smiled at the blonde girl, a hint of sadness playing around his eyes and lips.

"Ino..." He started quietly.

She looked at him as Koori cried on, oblivious and loud.

"I've been...seeing Temari."

Calm, Ino kept her pale blue eyes on his and absently continued to rub Koori's back. Then, after a pause, she admitted forlornly, "I know. I'm surprised you told me."

Surprise shook him but then he reproached himself. Ino's observation skills weren't as sharp as his, but she was still a ninja after all. She broke their eye contact and concentrated on her calming ministrations.

Shikamaru's gaze roved again to the sky outside the window. He watched a cloud crawl into the frame of sight and thought hopelessly of the simple life plans he had sketched for himself as a 12-year-old.

He had decided he was going have normal, steady-paying job as a ninja. He was going to marry a woman neither ugly nor beautiful and have two children. The first one was going to be a girl, and the next would be a boy. He'd retire from being a ninja after his daughter got married and his son got a job. Then he'd while away the rest of his days playing shogi, free from worldly cares. And he'd die from old age before his wife.

That was the kind of life he wanted. And yet...he thought as he looked around him. _This_ was the kind of life he'd managed to obtain for himself regardless.

His job was quickly becoming one that decided life-or-death strategies which concerned a lot of lives. He had married a feisty girl who was growing beautifully into a courageous woman. And then he had fallen in love with a rough kunoichi from the Hidden Village of Sand. How had a simple, lazy guy like him found himself truly devoted to two women? Not to mention a job where hordes of people depended on him.

Troublesome.

Shikamaru looked away from the cloud and settled his gaze once more on Ino. He'd never seen her act so adult.

A tall nurse meandered down the hallway in their direction, squinty eyes glued to a clipboard. When she noticed the trio, she paused and glanced back to the clipboard, then glanced at the door nearest them.

"You waiting to see Akimichi?"

Koori's watery eyes immediately fixed on the nurse and her bawling dwindled to dramatic, rather gross-sounding sniffles. The nurse spared a momentary look out the window.

"You know you've been able to see him for the last fifteen minutes," she said, shuffling her feet.

With a shriek of joy that easily broke the sound barrier, Koori sped past the bored nurse and into the room containing a--as stated repeatedly before--perfectly fine if a little worse for wear Chouji.

From inside the little room, they heard Koori squeal, "Oh my gawd! You're OKAY!"

Unable to help it, Ino and Shikamaru both rolled their eyes. Then all at once, the weight of an urgent and unmade decision settled over them like a lead veil.

"So what do we do?" Shikamaru finally asked, fitting his hands awkwardly into his pockets and then taking them out again.

Ino blandly wet her lips and clasped her hands behind her back. "I...don't know. I'm going to have to think about it."

"Alright."

"Yeah."

Chouji looked over Koori's affectionate blanket tucking and noted the gloom of his two team mates. A concerned frown bloomed on the kind-hearted ninja's face and with one last glance at Shikamaru, Ino strode into the room.

Absolutely beaming at Chouji, she immediately began making nearly as much a fuss as Koori.

A few seconds later, Shikamaru followed her inside.

* * *

"Where is she? Where's Hinata?"

"If you don't lie back down, I swear to god, Inuzuka, I'll sit on you," Shizune snapped, trying to push him back to a horizontal position on the hospital bed.

"Get off!" He snarled, pushing back at her.

She warily eyed the bandages that were beginning to unravel from around his torso.

"Sit DOWN, Kiba," a voice commanded from across the room.

Shizune and Kiba both looked over to see the imposing form of the Godaime standing in the doorway.

Kiba's fangs showed but he remained sitting on the thin hospital bed's mattress. The blankets had been kicked completely off in the minor scuffle. Giving him a scolding look, Shizune began redressing his wounds. Sure enough, the gouges on his torso had reopened. The half-formed scabs were already broken and beginning to bleed.

"Hinata's fine," Tsunade provided, entering the room in an unruffled manner that juxtaposed the tense atmosphere.

"Where is she?"

"In a guarded room here at the hospital."

"Guarded?!" Kiba hollered, trying not to wince at Shizune's attentions.

Tsunade's eyes hardened. "She tried to defect from the village, Kiba."

"Because the restrictions you put on her were crushing her spirit!"

"I don't seem to recall you coming to me about this _before_ she did something drastic," Tsunade said coolly.

Kiba grit his teeth and glanced at the sheets, prongs of guilt stabbing him deeply. Tsunade sighed.

"Hinata should have talked to someone about these restrictions. There was no reason for her to go as far as defect."

"The seal," Kiba suddenly interjected. "The seal made her see things wrongly and so she did something stupid."

"And you want me to loosen the restrictions on her because of this? Your argument is less than compelling," Tsunade responded with a raised eyebrow.

Kiba nearly growled in anger. But then the Hokage suddenly said:

"But...I'll see what can be arranged."

* * *

Sakura took some steady breaths as she absently supplied injury details to the bored nurse with a clipboard. Her voice dwindled until her only responses were nods.

"Get a cup of coffee, Sakura," the nurse said, scratching her ankle with the other foot.

Her limbs tired and heavy, Sakura moved down the hallway like a zombie, seeing and hearing nothing. She trailed her fingers over a brass handle and pulled open the door to an empty hospital room flooded with afternoon sunlight. Stepping in, she closed the door behind her and collapsed into it.

She gulped once or twice to try and stifle the tears, knocking her head back against the door in frustration.

How could this hurt so much?

She stumbled to the hospital bed placed in the middle of the room and sat down heavily, gripping the mattress's edge hard before burying her face in her arms and letting the tears stream out.

God, she hated crying.

The door behind her opened and her crying juddered into a surprised hiccup. She didn't turn around to see who it was but swiped at her wet face, embarrassed. There was the sound of the door closing and then footsteps padding towards her.

Sakura looked up to find Ino squatting next to her, surprisingly close. The blonde met her green eyes with a scrutinizing stare.

Sakura inwardly winced at letting her rival catch her in such a vulnerable state and glanced to the side. Ino stood and held out a hand. Sakura took it reluctantly and let herself get pulled to her feet. Suddenly, Ino smirked.

"Hit me."

"What?" Sakura mumbled, caught off-guard.

"Hit me," Ino instructed adamantly.

"I'm not going to hit you..."

"Well, it's either that or you're gonna keep crying and then I'll probably start too. So. Hit. Me."

A punch flew through the air and Ino's slender hand caught the fist with a sound of flesh slapping flesh. Thankfully, Sakura was too drained to put any monster strength into the punch.

Ino's eyes flashed.

"Better."

* * *

Naruto hadn't seen Sasuke look this dishevelled since their brief visit to the Forest of Death during the Chuunin Exams. His dark hair was a mess and purple bags hung under his eyes. But his wintry complexion was a healthy colour, as opposed to the deathly pale he had been when Orochimaru had bitten him.

He ran his eyes over the thick gauze capping Sasuke's shoulder while the dark-haired teen stared blankly out the window next to his bed. For a few moments, nothing was said or done. Then a loud, jaw-cracking yawn split Naruto's face and Sasuke glanced over at him.

"Even after all that, you can't sleep? You ever thought about getting Granny Tsunade to help you with that?" Naruto advised through another yawn.

Sasuke gave him a mild stare. "With what?"

"Your, wassa word, _insomnia_?"

"Surprised you noticed."

"I do sleep in your bed."

"You do, you _sleep_."

"Among other things," Naruto said with a grin.

A small smile graced Sasuke's face and he quickly returned his attention to the window to hide it. The shuffling of bedcovers reached his ears and then he felt the edge of his thin mattress dip. Before he could fully turn and warn Naruto away, a dry pair of lips skimmed over the side of his neck.

Sasuke gave a small swallow as the supple sensation of Naruto's mouth became his entire universe. He felt a warm palm travel up his bare back in an arch, coming to tangle in the messy hair at the base of his head. He barely registered being gently pushed back into a laying position. Naruto finished climbing onto the bed and manoeuvred himself until he was hovering above his husband on all his hands and knees.

Deep kisses and slow strokes of the tongue were lavished onto the pale throat exposed for him. At the feel of another's teeth so near his jugular, Sasuke's breathing picked up and his hands started reaching for anything they could find: Naruto's elbows, Naruto's upper arms, Naruto's smooth chest.

To his vexation, Sasuke found mobility on his injured shoulder was less than standard. So he kept the hand on that arm busy caressing Naruto's hip, and then used the other to get a firm handful of blond hair.

When that hand then _dragged_ his head up, Naruto was just short of yelping angrily, but then a mouth slammed into his. He gasped harshly and sank into the kiss with relish, half biting Sasuke's bottom lip as he did so.

Sasuke kicked the thin blankets away so that none of Naruto's body was barred from him. They grabbed at each other hungrily as their mouths ravaged one another's with such force that Sasuke's head was tilting backwards off the pillow and Naruto's scalp was sore from the insistent grip in his hair.

In need of oxygen, they abruptly broke away, their lips swollen and their breathing laboured.

"Get off my leg," Sasuke rasped.

"So watch my stomach," Naruto commanded back in an equally lusty voice.

"Tch. The wounds are already gone, I bet."

Even as he shifted his weight away from Sasuke' injured thigh, Naruto bared his teeth close to Sasuke's lips, which parted instinctively.

"It's still tender," he got out before the dark-haired teen arched, bringing their mouths together again.

Their bodies fitted together gingerly even as their kiss roughened. Sasuke's knees parted and Naruto groaned loudly as their new position brought their groins into firm contact through their sweatpants. Sasuke pushed his hips into a slow upwards grind as he kept a hand possessively on the back of Naruto's head.

Naruto melted, breaking the kiss in favour of urgently inhaling air into his lungs. It didn't help that another hand was sliding over his ass, pulling him down harder, closer into the charged embrace. He buried his face in the soft junction between Sasuke's neck and the uninjured shoulder. Sasuke curled into the unexpected contact.

"Ngh..." Was all Naruto could articulate. "I want..."

"Naruto," Sasuke interjected.

The blonde was about start whining but then he looked up and caught the gleam in his lover's dark eyes.

"Every hospital room has to have some lubricant in a drawer along with the other medical supplies," he stated succinctly, though his pulse was racing with the possibility that he was pushing things too far. "Want to look for it?"

Sasuke's fear of rejection dissipated as a trademark mischievous grin blossomed on the face in from of him. The dark-haired teen's stomach flipped unexpectedly at the keen look in Naruto's eyes.

The two shinobi reluctantly pulled apart and Naruto hurried to the bedside table while Sasuke dashed to the cabinet near the door. There was a flurry of drawers being yanked open, having their contents forcefully rearranged, and then slammed closed.

"Got it," Naruto heard behind him.

He about-faced to see Sasuke wetting his lips and dangling a clear tube of gel from his fingers. Naruto's eyes were glued to the glimpses of pink tongue. Sasuke suddenly curled it behind his teeth and the blonde felt his groin and then his entire body heat up like a furnace.

"Are you blushing?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

Naruto ground his teeth, fully aware that his face was dusted with pink. "Give it here," he demanded instead, holding out his hand.

Sasuke raised a fine black eyebrow. "You can't be top; you'll mutilate your _tender_ stomach."

"Well, you can't possibly be top if you've got a busted shoulder and thigh," Naruto snapped back, eying the bandaging on said limbs.

Frustrated, Sasuke sank into thought for a minute. Then black eyes met blue smugly. He took four steps and was back in Naruto's personal space, grazing his calloused fingertips across the blonde's throat and down his tan chest. When they trailed around the hem of Naruto's sweatpants (in which there was a notable tent), he paused.

"I've got an idea," he said huskily, walking Naruto backwards the two steps to his bed.

Naruto swallowed, unsure how long he could fight off desire if Sasuke really insisted on being top. When those fingers snaked under the elastic waistband of his orange sweatpants and his boxers, settling right over his hipbone, Naruto knew any resolve would melt in seconds, like it always did in the face of his husband's fiery wants. He really would do almost anything for him.

Sasuke flattened his hand again the feverish skin and his fingertips brushed Naruto's mid-thigh. That mere contact was seductive enough to make Naruto's eyelids twice as heavy as they were a second ago.

Sasuke dragged the sweatpants and underwear down with the hand not holding the precious tube of lubricant and Naruto grabbed purchase of the other pant leg. Together they divested his tan body completely of any sartorial barrier.

Naruto gently caught Sasuke's face in his hands and pulled him in for another kiss. Then they got to work on baring Sasuke's skin too. He dragged the black cloth down as Sasuke's tongue caressed and surged against his. Then both pairs of sweatpants were abandoned and forgotten on the floor, and they clambered back onto the bed, their mouths still pressed desperately to each other's and their hearts banging hotly against their ribs.

"I'm going to top, but I'll be on the bottom," Sasuke murmured against Naruto's pliant lips.

"What?" Naruto mumbled.

Suddenly a hot mouth was by his ear.

"Ride me," was whispered.

It scorched Naruto from head to toe. He groaned at the images swarming his mind and vaguely heard the sound of a cap popping open. The tip of a wet tongue traced his ear lobe and Naruto suddenly found himself boneless as he lay pressed to Sasuke's side. He wanted to close his eyes and get lost in the pure sensation of the attention being lavished on his sensitive ear, but he forced his eyes to remain open.

Sasuke was sliding his hand over his cock slowly, making sure to coat it with lube as completely as possible. He found a pair of blue eyes burning into him and his sac contracted in an unexpected wave of arousal. It took all his willpower not to squeeze himself tightly and stroke in earnest.

"Now who's blushing?" Naruto said breathlessly, crawling over the pale muscled body until he was hovering over it on all fours again.

Sasuke looked up

"Naruto..." escaped from lips that were then invaded very deliberately by a hot tongue.

Nothing was touching except for their mouths, but then Naruto felt slippery, warm fingers lightly playing over the opening in his rear. He tensed automatically but he made sure his consent could be felt in their kiss. Sasuke slid two very well-coated fingers inside and felt the muscles constrict and release around them. His cock pulsed at the sensation. He was concentrating so hard on keeping a temperate, even pace that when a warm hand wrapped around his own manhood, a gasp escaped him unchecked.

His fingers slipped out of the opening and he felt the tip of his dick being directed to it. He clutched Naruto's arms and his legs involuntarily spread further. And then he was being swallowed whole.

Naruto breathed slowly and steadily, trying not to grimace as he slowly tilted himself down and impaled himself. His knees shifted until they were nearly aligned with Sasuke's ribcage and the dark-haired teen took full advantage of the opportunity to clutch the muscular thighs.

There was a long pause after Naruto was filled completely. Sasuke's breaths were shallow as he felt himself utterly surrounded. His head fell back in a gesture of yearning and rapture. Naruto watched with awe and leaned forward, splaying his ninja's hands on Sasuke's broad chest.

He was so _aware_ of the feeling of Sasuke inside him, of his own thighs sliding intimately against and squeezing the warm, pale hips underneath him. He tried rocking forward leisurely, noting he could feel the sides of Sasuke's hipbones against the sensitive skin of his thighs and the tight, hot feeling of Sasuke inside him. God, Sasuke was so _hard_.

Sasuke felt like his cheeks were on fire. He couldn't keep the air in his lungs and his breath kept coming in unrestrained pants. Naruto's body was so _hot_. He felt like he was buried to the hilt inside an inferno. He thought he could die like this.

When the blonde rocked forward again, Sasuke experimentally thrust his hips up to meet the motion and a bolt of white hot bliss lanced through his body. Naruto grunted in surprise as something suddenly felt extraordinarily _good_.

As though scripted, they began moving again simultaneously and both let out startled sounds of pleasure. They bucked and pressed into one another, and Sasuke felt a pair of calloused hands cosseting his nipples. He arched and thrusted, wanting nothing more than to drown in the heat trapped within the body above him. Naruto lifted his hips slowly up and then quickly down, re-impaling himself with a slick intent that had the shinobi beneath him squirming.

"More," Sasuke growled out, his hands splaying across Naruto's hips and thighs and _pulling_.

Naruto felt Sasuke's cock plunge, if possible, deeper up into him and it stroked the rough bundle of nerves, sending shockwaves through his system.

"Ungh...harder?" The blonde managed to get out, his head falling forward in ecstasy.

"Faster," came the husky reply.

"Both," Naruto breathed in confirmation.

He felt a pair of strong hands gripping his upper arms, and Naruto opted to use Sasuke's chest as support as he raised himself again. And then slammed back down, hard and fast. His knees slid intimately against Sasuke's sides as he repeated the motion, drawing delicious noises of pleasure out of the dark-haired teen.

The movements took on a more frantic pace as they writhed into each other, the contact sending volts through them. Sasuke bucked ardently and Naruto's head tipped forward as his hips moved and their bodies strained in unison to reach climax.

Naruto ground their bodies together, now slick with sweat and the beads of moisture escaping from the head of Naruto's cock. Sasuke wrapped his fingers around the hard manhood sliding and scraping against his lower abs and began pumping Naruto in time to their almost erratic thrusting.

He heard Naruto groan hoarsely and a moment later, Naruto's body clamped tightly around him. His back arched as he came, spilling himself across the flat plane of Sasuke's pale stomach.

The muscles on Sasuke's abdomen and thighs tensed at the sudden burning pressure surrounding his cock on all sides. He shoved himself deep and panted open mouthed as he came hard, shooting thick spurts up into Naruto's body.

Their faces and bodies were now flushed thoroughly and sweaty, but neither budged an inch for a few seconds. They just relished in the pleasant aftershocks soaring through their blood streams and keeping them lightheaded.

As they cooled, Sasuke thought of how easy it would be for him to not have this. How easily he could have chosen a thousand other paths that would lead him away from the blonde resting completely spent on his middle.

But right then, he couldn't think of a single path that wouldn't in some way re-latch his fate to Naruto's. Wiped out, he smiled and, this time, made no attempt to hide it.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

I was so surprised at the amount of people who told me they loved every minute of last chapter. I was so sure the lack of active SasuNaru would make it one of the less-loved ones.

Anyway, college is crazy fun but it does take a chunk out of my writing time. However, I did manage to make some corrections to chapter 4 while I was at it.

As always, thanks to my AMAZING reviewers: **joni.doesnt.know**, **KunochiDreamer**,

**derawr**, **Lady Silverhawk**, **Clemen**, **Luna!**, **Mistress of Sadikus**, **shadows rayne**, **KaiPhoenix**, **SakuraKissy**, **BitterSweet27**, **Kai'sgrl**, **dustori**, **CherryShadowZ**, **Nikotehfox**, **Ahh-Chew**, **pixiegirl100**, **FREAKSHOW1**, **arisa0**, **NekoAnime**, **fullofmisery**, and **Gonrie**

**Heaven****Cobra** – Thanks so much for taking the time to review all those chapters!

**Adi1** – Thanks so much for that review! Your perspective gave me a few ideas. ;)

**Alley-Oop** – You are so sweet and I swear I don't deserve any of it. Thanks so much for the compliment on the battle scenes as I always sweat over those the most. Your reviews always always always make my day!

**Jen** – Don't worry, I've got ideas for at least two other long fics in my head and also a possible Sealed sequel (and I just started _Akatsuki's Brats_). Now to find the time to write them all... Sigh. Thanks for reviewing!

-Ms Trick


	18. Track 18

**Sealed  
XVIII**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 18

"Their security really is laughable, isn't it, Sasori-danna?"

The puppet-master merely swished Hiruko's tail through the tall grass. The outer wall of Konoha was spread about two hundred yards in front of them and a pair of chuunin were languidly patrolling alongside it in the afternoon sunshine.

Hidden by the sleeves of his cloak, the mouths in Deidara's hands wetly licked at his palms in anticipation.

"We'll wait until nightfall," Sasori growled.

"Mmm. The one-tail won't stand a chance. And if we're lucky, we might even be able to land our hands on that nine-tails jinchuuriki that's been giving Itachi trouble, yeah."

"You talk too much."

* * *

Kabuto had never seen Orochimaru this angry.

Enraged howls and the violent sounds of furniture being obliterated emanated from the snake sannin's gloomy quarters. Biding his time in the corridor, Kabuto was already calculating the third best candidate for Orochimaru-sama's next body. The first was Sasuke-kun, of course, and the second had been Hinata-chan, but with both those options out of the picture for now, he needed to start thinking ahead.

The scream of some misguided servant and then the wet sound of bloody limbs splattering to the floor reached Kabuto's ears. The medic-nin merely pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, wondering who had been brave or stupid enough to approach Orochimaru-sama right now. In the state the sannin was in right now, Kabuto wouldn't be surprised if even _he_ was attacked upon entering that room.

Sasuke's abrupt return to Konoha had been a nasty blow, though not entirely unexpected. Orochimaru had only smirked at the time, confident that the Uchiha's perfidy would be a temporary crisis of conscience. Because he _knew_ Sasuke; he knew he'd want more power at some point because Itachi was still out there and Konoha couldn't offer the kind of power Sasuke needed to complete his blood mission. Orochimaru could give him that power.

Sasuke-kun's marriage complicated things far more than anticipated, Kabuto mused sullenly. He mulled over the progress of the Akatsuki's hunt and wondered if discussing that with Orochimaru-sama would improve his mood at all. After all, should the Akatsuki obtain Sasuke's demon-wielding husband, it wouldn't be outlandish to assume Sasuke would return to Orochimaru's fold, desperately searching for the power necessary to get him back.

Kabuto allowed himself a grim little smile before slowly approaching Orochimaru's quarters, his glasses glinting in the candlelight.

* * *

_Opening the window was a good move on their part_, Kakashi thought to himself as he took in the scene.

Naruto and Sasuke, still looped with bandages but thankfully both in clothes, were dozing on the hospital bed nearer to the door. Their limbs were flopped over each other's sleepily, like a pair of puppies, as the curtains fluttered in the light breeze.

Despite the open window, Kakashi could still smell the sex, but he attributed that to his remarkably good nose. Looking at the two ninja on the bed, their powerful muscles relaxed and their countenances unguarded, the jounin couldn't help but reminisce back to his first day as their teacher. He had restrained himself from scoffing at the wobbly-legged genins he had been assigned, which took considerable effort as he had been saddled with a weak and lovesick little girl, an antisocial brat with a superiority complex, and a wild child who never stopped to think and wasn't used to looking out for others in addition to himself.

_Maturity's a weird thing_, Kakashi thought, mentally appraising the abilities of his students now.

"He's not leaving," Naruto snickered. "Maybe we should stop pretending to be asleep."

"An excellent idea, Naruto, as the Godaime will be in here in a few minutes," Kakashi commended.

Sasuke stood and stretched gingerly, keeping much of his weight off his injured leg.

"Where're the others?" Naruto queried, rubbing at his eyes.

"In the hospital," Tsunade's voice supplied.

The men in the room turned to see her leaning against the door jamb with her arms loosely folded.

"Everyone?" Naruto asked, worry clear on his face as Tsunade approached them.

"Neji, Chouji, and Kiba will all need a few days to recover. But Gaara and Lee haven't returned yet. And Shikamaru, Sakura, and Temari obtained little to no injury."

"And Hinata?"

Sasuke nearly cringed at how much Naruto's heart bled. The blonde's concern was so bare in his voice. If Sasuke was into introspection, he would have realised that his irritation stemmed from Naruto dropping his defences without a moment's thought. Sasuke himself had learned the harsh way what happened when the whole world knew what you cherished.

But Sasuke avoided in-depth introspection when it came to being irritated with Naruto. So he just tch-ed and glanced out the window.

"Yes, she's also in the hospital under firm custody. The protective seal will be re-cast around Orochimaru's mark as soon as she's strong enough. And she'll be marked with a locator seal too," Tsunade said, her hazel eyes sliding to meet Sasuke's.

Naruto looked between them, confusion furrowing his brows. For a second he forgot about Hinata.

"Locator seal?"

"Seriously?" Kakashi deadpanned.

Tsunade blinked and resisted the very un-Hokage like urge to smack her palm to her forehead. Sasuke rolled his eyes and reached down to tug at the leg of his sweatpants. He raised it, revealing a few inches of pale skin and a dark, intricate tattoo of black kanji that wound around his ankle like a snake.

"How long has _that_ been there?" Naruto yelped.

From the vexed look Sasuke gave him, Naruto concluded that it had been there for quite some time. Indeed, the clean edges indicative of a fresh seal were long worn. Naruto silently fumed at his lack of awareness. How did he not notice a seal on his lover's body?

Returning to a standing position, Sasuke lengthened his spine and met the Godaime's gaze.

"The blame cannot lie completely on Hinata's shoulders," he stated clearly, bringing Naruto's attention back to the kunoichi's predicament.

"Yeah!" He blurted out. "She's way too nice for this to have been just her!"

"Even nice people get desperate, Naruto," Tsunade sighed.

"He's right in a way. Orochimaru's seal is deadly because it puts his idea into your head, and it sounds real, it makes sense. You believe it's your own, because it sounds like your own, but it's actually your idea infused with a murderous intent that wasn't there before."

The blonde woman kept her gaze even but critical as she studied Sasuke, weighing this information. She pondered about the merits of the knowledge this teenager could provide her concerning her former team mate. She didn't doubt that Sasuke had told her everything relevant to the immediate situation, though if she decided to be harsh, she could rebuke him for not providing this information before this incident occurred.

She considered the heavy, heavy possibility of requesting a mission for Sasuke that would not only risk his life but the village's. Was bringing down Orochimaru worth such a risk? Tsunade closed her eyes, too exhausted to come to a conclusion today.

Despite the volumes of thought, all she said was, "Thank you, Sasuke. I will take that into consideration."

* * *

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew," Ino snapped, snapping her platinum ponytail over her shoulder.

"What are you going to do?" Sakura asked, tired but curious.

She sat on the linoleum floor in the shadow of a hospital bed, her arms around her knees and her prickly best friend beside her. Both their backs to the wall, they stared out the window opposite them when they didn't want to meet the other's eyes.

"I think...I'll stick with Shikamaru."

"Despite--"

"Yes, despite it!"

Sakura nodded in acceptance but her eyes were dull and pensive. Ino sat up a little straighter as she watched Sakura stare into space.

"Man," Ino said, her tone now softer, "You really liked Temari."

"I still do," Sakura whispered, her chin sinking onto her knees. "I thought she liked me too. Could that have been an act?"

"I doubt it," Ino said, shifting uncomfortably on the floor. "I bet she likes you too. But I mean, you knew she wasn't a lesbian. I kinda didn't think _you_ were, what with the whole Sasuke thing."

"Even if we're not lesbians, I thought she'd at least have the respect to..." Sakura swallowed. "I didn't expect it to be so..." She paused again and her eyes found the window lit by the late afternoon "...I didn't think it could hurt this much."

"It might still work..." Ino proffered.

"No," Sakura stated calmly, her posture and tone regaining some strength. "No, I don't think it's going to. She doesn't like girls."

"And you?"

"I don't know. I liked _her_. I liked Temari."

"Like you liked Sasuke?"

Sakura went quiet and Ino took a moment to rub her thighs, which were going numb.

"Not...exactly like I liked Sasuke. Being with Temari was like having a really great girl friend that I was allowed, um, go further with."

"That's not really life-partner material though, is it?" Ino commented without spite.

Sakura made a small noise of agreement and then a resigned sigh escaped her lips. Ino extended her long legs and then stood, reaching her arms over her in a great stretch. The light pouring in through the window like honey bathed her in warmth and she turned to look back down at Sakura still curled up in the shadows against the wall.

Ino held out her hand and Sakura took it with little hesitation, allowing the blonde to haul her to her feet.

* * *

Neji looked down at his cousin's pale face, blocking out the sounds of the IV drip standing guard next to her bed. Hinata's inhales and exhales were deep and even, the breathing of someone under sedation. This was nothing like the choked and bloody wheezes that had wracked her after her defeat at his ruthless hands in their first chuunin exam.

His eyes rested on her clammy but unblemished forehead and a realisation flared up in his poised consciousness: how weak he'd been...had Hinata truly desired to defeat him, all she would have needed to do as a member of the main family was activate the seal on his forehead. The pain would have rendered him unable to complete the match.

Surely the thought had crossed her mind, Neji thought, a frown forming. Hinata's intentions to improve herself were truly noble if she'd face him without even considering using the one thing guaranteeing her to win. A rare grimace graced his lips and he gently tugged the crisp white sheet up over her shoulders until the cotton edge was brushing her chin.

What had happened to that noble, shy girl? He wondered, smoothing the sheet's edges as he contemplated just how much Hinata had suffered in silence and just how far she must have been pushed to seek out someone as vile as Orochimaru. Impulsively, he reached out and brushed three fingertips across her left cheek's red Inuzuka marking and in his mind, promised his cousin that she would not have to suffer in silence any more.

Then he turned and quietly left her side and then the room. The two jounin guards on either side of the door kept their eyes on him as he exited and strolled down the hallway towards the imposing figure of Hyuuga Hiashi, who was standing icily at the corridors' intersection.

The clan head was also spotted by Naruto's blue eyes. Approaching from a different direction than Neji, the blonde's gait picked up a hint more speed. Sasuke let himself be tugged in that direction due to the odd, barely-touching two-fingered grip Naruto had on his hand.

"Calm down, dobe. It's not like Hinata's going anywhere."

"Yeah, yeah, you're worried too, you cheat. Otherwise, you wouldn't have argued so hard in her favour in front of the Old Lady."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grumbled, "It's only because I don't want her actions to reflect badly on me."

As they got closer to Hiashi's white-robed figure, their hands instinctively drifted out of the other's and they then noticed Neji standing tensely in front of his uncle.

"No, she must suffer the consequences of her actions the way her new family dictates. I'm not going to simply march in there and grant my forgiveness. I'm not going to visit her," Hiashi droned.

"You probably should," Neji intoned coolly. "She did this partly because of you."

Naruto's skin prickled as he caught the end of the two Hyuugas' conversation and the frosty staring match that entailed. Hiashi turned without any hurry and casually strolled away from Neji, whose anger only found expression in his clenched fists.

"Naruto. Sasuke. If you'll excuse me," Neji said shortly, bowing in acknowledgement before also taking his leave.

"Man, intense family," Naruto mumbled. "No wonder Hinata went off the deep end. I betcha Kiba's family would be scary to live with too. I mean, Hana-nee-chan's awesome but their mom! And all those big dogs. Ne, Sasuke, where's Hinata?"

"I imagine she's anywhere except behind the door where the two ninja are posted as guards," Sasuke drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Naruto stuck his tongue out as he walked backwards away from the dark-haired ninja. He spun on his heel when he neared the door and saluted the two jounin on duty. They nodded briefly and Naruto jauntily marched between them. Sasuke casually made to follow but then Naruto re-emerged with a baffled look on his face.

"Hey, I thought you said Hinata was in here," he inquired, scratching the back of his head.

The pair of guards suddenly snapped to attention and pushed past Naruto into the room, only to find an empty bed and an open window with the curtain swaying in front of it.

"Shit!" One of them bit out before they both raced from the room.

Time sped up and Naruto suddenly found himself jogging alongside Shizune as well as he could with his injuries, frantically checking every room in the hospital for the missing Hinata. He yelled her name into every door he could open (including janitor closets), all the while his breath was a little shorter than it should have been.

When they got to the staircase, a harried Sakura and Ino reported that they hadn't found her either but had roped at least eight other people into searching. Then the four of them raced in opposite directions, Shizune and Naruto clambering down the stairs.

_Where? Where? Where?_ Naruto thought, his thoughts scurrying away from him. _Home? Would she go home? Not Orochimaru?!_

He zipped down the ground floor and joined several others leaving the hospital in order to expand the search. He ran panicked in the direction of the Hyuuga compound before skidding to a halt and turning towards the part of town where the Inuzukas lived. He tried to keep up his usual pace but when his gut began to pulse uncomfortably, he slowed to a jog and pressed a sweaty hand into the bandages loosening around his middle.

The huge Inuzuka house finally loomed into sight ahead and Naruto noticed Tsunade's blond head immediately. The Godaime was standing by the large, wooden entrance gates with her arms crossed. As Naruto drew near to her side, she turned and looked at him and he saw a smile playing at her lips.

"Hospital garb is in today I see," she commented wryly, eying his outfit, which consisted of strained bandages and sweatpants.

Bamboozled, Naruto "Huh?"ed at her sartorial humour and felt even more out of the loop when she merely smiled wider. He opened his mouth to yelp out the news of Hinata's absence when he glanced past the Hokage to see Kiba's mother, Inuzuka Haekoe, shifting her weight awkwardly on the wide stones of her front walk.

The reason for her discomfort was on the ground in front of her, kneeling with her forehead to the ground. Wrapped in her hospital gown and trailing bandages, Hinata was repeatedly begging forgiveness of her mother-in-law. She bowed again and again, her dark hair falling a little more over her shoulders each time.

Now Naruto knew why Tsunade was smiling and he felt happiness and relief bubble up inside him. Hinata desired the forgiveness not of the Hyuuga, not of the father whose cold treatment had driven her to Orochimaru, but of her new family. She begged forgiveness not out of tradition, but out of her heart.

"...for not only being disloyal to the village but to you, Inuzuka-san, and your family. Forgive me. I will work harder than ever before. I will be a good daughter-in-law and a good wife to your son. I will provide you with as many grandchildren as you desire--"

"Alright! Alright!" Haekoe yelped, her face flushed from the show of formal subservience. "Get up already! This is getting embarrassing."

Laughter spilled out of Tsunade and Naruto, the tension so vivid only seconds before dissipating into the golden evening.

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Um...don't hurt me? I'm SO sorry I've neglected my writing for the last six months. Let me put it this way: my boyfriend and I just celebrated our 6 month anniversary and no, it's not a coincidence. But I promise I'll do my best to finish "Sealed" and continue "Akatsuki's Brats" because even though sex in real life is awesome...Naruto is still kinda orgasmic. ;)

Thanks A MILLION CUPCAKES to: **Hasamaki**, **Kyorose**, **Heaven** **Cobra**, **Tirra Lirra**, **VescaWithoutWings**, **Gonrie**, **Mistress** **of** **Sadikus**, **KaiPhoenix**, **pixiegirl100**, **Clemen**, **Adi1**, **michelerene**, **coldfront**, **TimeForTea**, **arisa0**, **Nikotehfox**, **dustori**, **FREAKSHOW1**, **Kai'sgrl**, **Teldra**, **Arella** **no** **Renyel**, **Akako-Chan**, **sydneydallas**, **yin-yangwinds**, **Animartchic**, **cypher** **away**, **MayIFall**, **kikilani555**, **stormseaker**, **Hidden behind the words**, **StoicSol**, **x-Xanti-x**, **tazzy186**, **Mumsi**, **Kyuuka-koinu**, **shyalchemist**, **Insane Author**, **SoSickOfNyQuil**, and **DemonEclipse**.

**Ant Power** – Wow, thanks so much! Hope you got some sleep in the end. ;)

**CherryShadowZ** – Heh, well, Koori was kind of completely oblivious at the time. And as for the loophole, I'm going to go ahead and call that my best work. Because I'm really not fond of labeling the uke and the seme seeing as Sasuke and Naruto are both rather seme personality-wise, I think. Thanks so much for the reviews!

**Alley-Oop** – "Out of It" was NaruSasu, I believe. And "Akatsuki's Brats" may turn out to be NaruSasu, though like I mentioned in the comment right above, both Naruto and Sasuke are such complicated characters, it's tricky to just say NaruSasu or SasuNaru. And thanks majorly for that comment on the lemons. They're tricky to make sound original just because it is so easy to fall back on clichés. Good to know I'm making some headway. Heh, again, thanks so much!

**db's cache** – Ouch. Though I have to admit, I appreciate the honest criticism. You pointed out some really key errors, and you were specific, which is helpful. I'll work on improving my writing but you better put your money where your mouth is and write something fantastic of your own. Again though, thank you for taking the time to properly critique my story.

**Emerald Gaze** – Thanks so much for all those reviews!

**Eks** – Thanks for giving my story a chance. :) Much appreciated, of course!

**Hardcore Heathen** – That review made my day. Seriously. And you're dead on with the end of semester crap--way too time consuming.

deep breath Geez...maybe I should ask you guys to review less. lol

-Ms Trick


	19. Track 19

**Sealed  
XIX**

* * *

_Author_: Ms. Trick

_Note_: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

* * *

Chapter 19

In its descent, the sun cast Konoha in perfect gold. Shadows became warm chocolate silk. Rooftops looked like polished trumpets. The pebbles in the emptying streets glittered like jewels.

Sasuke's skin seemed to illuminate in the light. Naruto glowed like a god, his blue eyes like cool water. Neji and Hinata's long dark locks caught the sun like black satin.

However, they made a strange parade.

Neji and Sasuke had arrived at the Inuzuka household shortly after Naruto. Presently, after leaving an embarrassed Haekoe behind them, they all moved in a troop back to the hospital. Hinata had an arm over her cousin's shoulders and Neji tenderly helped her along the shimmering road. Tsunade was on the girl's other side, keeping an eye on the loosening bandages.

Traveling slowly several feet behind them were Sasuke and Naruto, both of them still in sweatpants and heavy gauze, both of them without shoes. Naruto took a step not unlike the rest of his steps and, without warning, found the white bandages around his middle sliding off him like a coiled snake.

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered when they came to a stop. Because of the throbbing in his thigh though, he was secretly grateful for the break.

Naruto bunched up the escaping strip and tried to pull it into a messy knot. But as soon as he released it, his handiwork melted and the gauzy bandages resumed sliding over his hips and down his legs.

"Damnit!"

Sasuke sighed and reached for them, his hands gentle on his husband's waist as he wove the bandages neatly over the wound that was still shiny and fragile and slightly blood encrusted. He tightened it until Naruto's toned waist was snugly wrapped. When he took a step back to admire his handiwork, a nasty barb of pain clutched at his thigh.

Naruto noticed the wince and moved to try and manoeuvre Sasuke's arm over him, but he met with highly resistance.

"I refuse to be led through the streets like an invalid," Sasuke said stonily, pulling his arm out of Naruto's reach and taking a few steps forward to demonstrate his point.

Naruto rolled his eyes and took a few steps after him before reaching for Sasuke's hand and quietly placing it on his own shoulder. Seeing as Sasuke didn't wrench away as though scalded, Naruto assumed that his proud lover accepted this compromise.

They hadn't continued more than eleven steps when Sasuke noticed Naruto was grinning. And this wasn't the grin of the prankster, or the malicious grin of the fox, or the overly optimistic smile displayed in order to hide hurt or nervousness. This was a grin of pure joy.

"What are you smiling at?" Sasuke asked, curious at the unadulterated glee on Naruto's face.

"Things are just really good, that's all."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, before illustrating: "We're still wounded. Hinata has a long road of mental recovery to travel. Orochimaru is still alive and very much a threat. Sakura was crying earlier for god knows what reason. Akatsuki is likely to turn its attentions to Konohagakure soon seeing as two of its targets are here, which means another confrontation with my _brother_. And Gaara and Lee haven't returned from their mission yet and we have no idea what happened to them."

Naruto's smile didn't flicker, didn't even lose a single watt.

"But _right now_, right now, right this second is really good and we're okay," he said.

"Right this second?" Sasuke repeated, looking around him at the radiant city in sunset and the even more radiant man he was subtly using as a crutch.

"Yeah..." he relented, much to Naruto's joy. "I guess this second's okay."

"No matter what happens in an hour or tomorrow or in twenty years, we'll always have right now and we'll remember that things were okay," the blond continued eagerly. "Even if you return to Orochimaru and I get killed by Akatsuki."

"So you're saying this is the end of everything, this one moment?"

"No, stupid," Naruto scoffed. "Life's not like a book. It's doesn't end unless you die. And we didn't die, so there. But when things get really sucky, we can remember this."

"So stop talking then."

"Aww, why?" Naruto groused.

"If this moment is going to be the nostalgic rock of our sanity, you can't ruin it by babbling endlessly. Kiss me."

Naruto did.

* * *

**END**

* * *

_Author's Note_:

I've finally tied up this loose end. It might be not be exactly what people were hoping for but I needed some closure and I think I've done it. **Endless appreciation to those who reviewed over the last few years!** I hope this ending isn't a massive disappointment.

love Ms Trick


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